Six Georgians jailed for theft of rare Russian books in France

The fake copy of a 1802 book -- the title page is copied and pasted into another 19th century book without any value and the stamps are fake - is pictured at the University of Warsaw library in Warsaw, Poland on November 14, 2023. A spate of thefts of rare Russian classics worth millions of euros from libraries across Eastern Europe has left a trail that points all the way to Moscow. AFP - WOJTEK RADWANSKI

Six Georgians have been sentenced to up to seven years' jail in France over the theft of rare editions of Russian literary classics, including by 19th-century luminary Alexander Pushkin, from prestigious French libraries.

The trial is the latest case seeking justice for a spate of similar heists in recent years from libraries across Europe, suspected to be the work of an organised network with potential links to Russia.