Russia disinformation targets France's pro-Ukraine candidates
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The gist
French prosecutors opened a probe into suspected Russian disinformation targeting centrist candidates Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal.
Researchers say the aim is to weaken pro-Ukraine voices before the 2027 vote.
Background
France's presidential election is set for April-May 2027, and several declared candidates are strongly pro-Ukraine. Gabriel Attal is a centrist former prime minister described as Emmanuel Macron's protege; Edouard Philippe is a centrist former prime minister and Le Havre mayor; Raphaël Glucksmann co-leads the center-left Place Publique party and is a social democratic MEP. According to the European External Action Service's fourth threat report, published in March 2026, France is now the second-most targeted country for Russian foreign information manipulation, behind only Ukraine.
How it unfolded
- Aug 5, 2026A Russian disinformation campaign targeted Gabriel Attal, using fabricated content on X that impersonated legitimate French media and falsely claimed he had Parkinson's disease or backed a more favorable policy toward squatters, per a government body and a member of his team.
- Aug 18, 2026French prosecutors opened a probe into a suspected Russian disinformation campaign targeting centrist candidates Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, and had already opened a probe into a campaign against Raphaël Glucksmann.
- Aug 29, 2026VT Foreign Policy, a self-described "alternative media" outlet amplifying pro-Kremlin narratives, published a fake story alleging Glucksmann helped set up torture prisons in Georgia and then similar operations in Ukraine.
- Sep 2, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026A Russia-linked network posted 639 messages in 22 coordinated waves in French, German, English and Polish, drawing about 7.4 million views; the largest wave, on October 8, produced 97 posts within three minutes.
- Oct 14, 2026The network's last detected wave came three days before the protests; one French-language post read "Every euro for Kyiv is a euro stolen from our common prosperity."
- Oct 17, 2026Cost-of-living protests took place in France; researchers found no posts about the unrest itself between October 15 and 19.
- Oct 21, 2026Alliance4Europe published a study covering data collected from October 11 to 18.
- Oct 30, 2026Kyiv Independent reported that Viginum had already detected hundreds of disinformation operations targeting the vote, including false claims that Glucksmann helped set up torture prisons in Ukraine, that Attal inherited a drug empire, and that Philippe suffers from dementia.
Key terms
- MEP
- A person elected to serve as a representative in the European Parliament.
- European External Action Service
- The European Union's diplomatic service that executes the EU's international relations and foreign policy.
- Doppelganger
- A Russian disinformation campaign launched in 2022 aiming to undermine support for Ukraine.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Expert
- Amelie Jaques-Apke of Sciences Po's CEVIPOF said damaging individual candidates is the visible tactic, while the more durable objective is to make whatever result emerges look illegitimate.
- Analysts
- Alliance4Europe assessed that coordinated inauthentic behavior is almost certain and the Doppelganger operation highly likely behind the network, which backed no single French party and aimed to weaken centrist and pro-Ukraine voices while boosting opponents of Ukraine support on either flank.
- Official
- Attal's legal team said the prosecutors' move shows judicial authorities are taking seriously the gravity of these digital interference tactics and the need to protect the integrity of the democratic debate.
- Party
- Raphaël Glucksmann denounced a fake Blast story about his partner Lea Salame as a Russian military intelligence (GRU) operation; Blast journalists denied ever publishing it.
Still unverified
Alliance4Europe assessed coordinated inauthentic behavior as almost certain and the Doppelganger operation as highly likely behind the network; it said about two-thirds of the posts could no longer be read because accounts were suspended, so its totals are a floor. A source close to Attal said the attack was likely motivated by his commitment to Ukraine.