According to a police source, two women and a man entered the Grevin Museum posing as tourists and, once inside, changed their clothes to pass for workers.

The activists slipped out through an emergency exit with the 40,000-euro-statue, which they had covered with a blanket.

The Greenpeace activists then placed the figure in front of the Russian embassy in a stunt meant to urge France to stop gas and fertiliser imports from Russia.

"For us, France is playing a double game," said Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France.

"Emmanuel Macron embodies this double discourse: he supports Ukraine but encourages French companies to continue trading with Russia."

Julliard said Greenpeace targeted Macron because he had a particular responsibility, adding that the French president "should be the first" among European leaders to end trade contracts with Russia.

France has been one of the most vocal supporters of Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Macron has taken the lead in seeking to forge a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine, after US President Donald Trump shocked the world by directly negotiating with Russia.

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