France orders pro-Kremlin commentator Xenia Fedorova to leave ahead of 2027 election
The French interior ministry issued an expulsion order for Russian-linked commentator Xenia Fedorova, accusing her of spreading Kremlin disinformation.
On July 29, the French interior ministry ordered Xenia Fedorova, a former RT journalist now appearing on CNews, Europe 1 and Le Journal du Dimanche, to leave the country. Officials claim she functions as a channel for Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at unsettling French society ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Her counsel, Emmanuel Piwnica, described the decree as a serious breach of journalistic freedom and said she will immediately appeal.
The expulsion follows warnings from disinformation experts about the influence of former state-run media figures in French conservative media circles owned by billionaire Vincent Bolloré. Liberation cited the order as targeting her role in spreading Kremlin talking points about Ukraine and the West. RT France was shut down in 2023, but Fedorova continued to commentate within the French media landscape.
Why it matters
The expulsion highlights France's effort to curb foreign propaganda influencing its upcoming presidential election.
How the sides frame it
MODERATE AGREEMENTCenter coverage frames the expulsion as a justified response to Kremlin propaganda and disinformation threatening public order, while right-leaning coverage highlights the action as a serious breach of journalistic freedom and stresses its timing before the 2027 election.
CENTER
The expulsion is presented as a necessary security measure against Kremlin-linked disinformation that threatens French public order.
RIGHT
The decree is portrayed as an infringement on press freedom, emphasizing the commentator’s right to appeal and the political context of the upcoming election.
The right emphasises
- described as a serious breach of journalistic freedom
- will immediately appeal the decree
- timed ahead of the 2027 presidential election
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