Russia was behind a stunt that saw five coffins draped in a French flag placed by the Eiffel Tower, according to French intelligence officials.

       The coffins were placed there with the inscription "French soldiers in Ukraine" – serving as an apparent warning against NATO troops being deployed in the country.

       Three men were seen in a van at around 9am on Saturday before leaving the coffins by the iconic monument.

       Police apprehended the driver who told them he had been paid €40 (￡34) by the two other men to take the coffins.

       The two other men were found at Bercy coach station in central Paris where they were attempting to get a coach to Berlin, Germany.

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       They told the police they had been paid €400 (￡340) to deliver the coffins. Police said the driver was Bulgarian while the the two men at the coach station were Ukrainian and German.

       The men now face an investigation for “violence with premeditation" while police confirmed that they are looking into whether the stunt was "organised from abroad."

       Russian operatives have reportedly been involved in two recent incidents.

       In October, after Hamas's attack in Israel where 1,200 people were killed, Stars of David with a likeness to the Israeli flag were stencilled on walls in Paris.

       A Moldovan couple believed to be paid by Russian intelligence were arrested for this event.

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       In May, red hands were painted on a Holocaust memorial in Paris. Police said the suspects likely fled abroad.

       The coffin stunt comes after French President Emmanuel Macron refused to rule out NATO troops being sent to Ukraine.

       Last week, Macron also led calls to back Ukraine striking military bases inside Russia with long-range weapons provided by Western partners.

       Macron said that France’s position is that “we think we must allow (Ukraine) to neutralise the (Russian) military sites from which the missiles are fired.”

       He added: “If we tell (the Ukrainians) you do not have the right to reach the point from which the missiles are fired, we are in fact telling them that we are delivering weapons to you, but you cannot defend yourself."