BERLIN, June 13 (RAPSI) - The German police have exposed an international criminal group, whose members forged renowned paintings by Russian avant-garde artists, and arrested the two alleged ring leaders, Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office reported on Thursday.

The group consisted of six artists, including some who came from Russia and Israel, the office said.

Since 2005, the members sold some 400 forged paintings both in Germany and beyond, with prices reaching "seven-figure euro sums", the report said.

"The two detained leaders alone are believed to have sold forged paintings in Germany and Spain to the value of over EUR 2 million," it said.

The group specialized in forging paintings by such avant-garde artists as Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Natalya Goncharova, Alexei Yavlensky, and Mikhail Larionov.

"They imitated these painters' styles and provided certificates of authenticity for the forged works to make people believe these were earlier unseen works," the police office reported.

The raid lasted two days, with searches undertaken in apartments and storehouses and art galleries in several German cities. The operation involved some 100 members of the Federal Criminal Police Office, with assistance from local policemen.