Six Georgian citizens have been tried in France for stealing rare editions of Russian classical literature from libraries and then replacing them with copies, Euronews reports. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

Among the stolen works were unique books by Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, and Nikolai Gogol.

According to the investigation, the group members operated according to a carefully planned scheme. They visited libraries posing as researchers, studied rare editions, photographed them, and took precise measurements. Later, the perpetrators returned and discreetly replaced the originals with nearly indistinguishable copies.

Of particular value among the stolen items was the first edition of Pushkin's poem "Boris Godunov," published in 1825. The prosecutor's office called the incident a "true theft of treasures" and part of a large-scale organized operation.

The damage inflicted on the National Library of France in Paris alone is estimated at approximately 770,000 euros.

The court found all six defendants guilty. Sentences range from 18 months suspended to seven years in prison. The harshest sentence was given to 50-year-old Mikhail, who was also banned from entering France for life after serving his sentence.

He had previously been convicted in Lithuania for stealing rare 19th-century editions worth more than 600,000 euros.

The investigation believes the crimes may be part of a broader network operating in several European countries.

Similar thefts have also been recorded in Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states. A joint international group was created for the investigation with the participation of Europol and Eurojust.

French magistrates do not rule out that the thefts could be linked to attempts to return the country's cultural heritage to Russia amid strained relations between Moscow and European states following the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine.

In 2024, the Russian auction house Litfond put up for sale a rare edition of Pushkin's poem "The Prisoner of the Caucasus," the description of which matched a copy previously stolen from a French library. However, representatives of the auction house stated that the book was purchased from an owner in Russia back in 2014–2015.

Despite the investigation and arrests, none of the stolen books have been found yet. The National Library of France said it remains hopeful of recovering the lost cultural treasures.

Earlier, Kursiv reported how in October 2025, raiders robbed the Apollo Gallery on the top floor of the Louvre, where French royal jewels are stored. The perpetrators used a ladder mounted on a truck to enter the gallery through a window. The value of the stolen jewelry was estimated at approximately 88 million euros ($102 million).

A film is planned about the "heist of the century," as the press calls it.