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French Prosecutors Probe Alleged Russian Interference in 2027 Election
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Paris prosecutors have launched an investigation into a targeted disinformation campaign aimed at undermining two major candidates running in the 2027 French presidential election, with Russian networks suspected of involvement.
The campaign surfaced early in the summer, circulating fabricated news online to undermine the presidential bids of former Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, according to Politico on August 18.
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Fake videos circulated on social media using the logos and branding of prominent French news outlets.
The falsified recordings claimed that Philippe was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, while Attal was falsely accused of suffering from Parkinson’s disease and using drugs. Attal publicly dismissed the videos as fake, while Philippe refrained from commenting publicly.
Viginum, the French state agency tasked with monitoring foreign digital interference, indicated that the disinformation networks Storm-1516 and Matriochka, both linked to Russia, may be behind the attacks.
Russia had long aimed to destabilize the European Union by fostering divisions among its member states through support for eurosceptic politicians.
Andrii Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that this strategy mirrored Moscow’s earlier efforts to push for the "federalization of Ukraine," explaining that the Kremlin sought to dismantle the EU to draw specific nations back into its sphere of influence.
He further highlighted that while Russia had actively promoted this policy since 2014–2015, the initial plans for its implementation had been set in motion as early as 2009–2010.
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