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French officials face scrutiny after Le Monde reported that ex-RT France head Xenia Fedorova got a 10-year residency in 2024. Sent by Putin ally Simonyan in 2017, she originally used a “talent passport” to launch the network.
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Soon after getting her permit, Fedorova joined Putin's Versailles delegation and complained to Macron about access to his campaign headquarters. Macron shot back, calling RT “instruments of influence and false propaganda.”
Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron at 'Chateau de Versailles' on May 29, 2017 in Versailles, France. Photo: Antoine Gyori/Getty Images
Responding in front of Vladimir Putin, the French president said: “I have always had exemplary relations with foreign journalists, provided they are truly journalists.”
Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron at 'Chateau de Versailles' on May 29, 2017 in Versailles, France. Photo: Antoine Gyori/Getty Images
“Ms. Fedorova is a notorious propagandist, acting as a mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation.”
— Jean-Noël Barrot, France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Jean-Noël Barrot, June 3, 2026. Photo: Adnan Farzat/Getty Images
Yet in 2021, Paris granted her a 4-year permit. After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the EU banned RT for “coordinated propaganda actions” that “seriously threaten public order and security.”
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In 2024, despite tight rules that saw thousands of threat-based rejections, Fedorova secured a 10-year card. The rare approval sparked internal government confusion over how she managed to bypass the restrictions.
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Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nuñez claimed the renewal was “automatic” via standard administrative channels, with no ministerial input. After the news leaked in March 2025, internal checks began, but no full review.
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“Just because a foreign national holds a residence permit does not protect them from potential prosecution or challenges, provided there is a disturbance to public order or a threat to the fundamental interests of the Nation.”
— Laurent Nuñez, Paris Police Prefect
Photo: Xavier Galiana/Getty Images