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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The French Ministry of the Interior issued an order for the expulsion from the country of Russian journalist Ksenia Fedorova. She is accused of promoting Kremlin information narratives that undermine French trust in the state and become part of Russia's hybrid warfare. More details on what Fedorova is accused of and how Europe is fighting propaganda can be found in the article Short Note on .
Ksenia Fedorova was considered one of the most influential Russian journalists in French media. She ran RT France (RT formerly Russia Today), regularly appeared on television, wrote columns for newspapers, and freely lived in Paris.
29 July 2026 of the year the French Ministry of the Interior signed an order for her expulsion from the country. At the same time, authorities canceled her residence permit, banned her from working in France, and then placed her under administrative supervision: until the appeal is considered, Fedorova must daily check in with the police. Two days later, French authorities also froze her assets for six months.
From Moscow — to Paris
Ksenia Fedorova arrived in France in 2017 year to launch the French version of the Russian state television channel RT France, created to work with a French audience.
Even then, relations with the authorities began to be complicated. During a joint press conference with Vladimir Putin at Versailles in May 2017 year, French President Emmanuel Macron publicly stated that RT and Sputnik “did not behave as press or journalists,” but as “organs of influence and propaganda.”
After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 year, the European Union banned RT broadcasting on its territory. It seemed that Fedorova's story in France would end.
But she remained in the country, obtained a long-term residence permit, and gradually became a regular commentator on the CNews channel, Europe radio 1, and in weekly Le Journal du Dimanche — all media belonging to the French billionaire Vincent Bolloré’s empire. It is precisely thanks to these platforms that Fedorova again became a prominent figure in the French information space.
FACTSHEET: Vincent Bolloré: 74-year-old French media magnate with assets of about $10 billion. His media outlets adhere to right-wing views: advocate for stricter migration policy, defense of traditional values, strengthening the state’s role in security issues, and are critically skeptical of left parties. Bolloré media regularly provide airtime to right-wing politicians, including representatives of the National Rally (Marine Le Pen) party.
What Ksenia Fedorova was accused of: distorting the truth about the war
In case materials and Le Monde publications, specific statements by Fedorova are listed that, according to Paris, spread Kremlin disinformation.
In broadcasts and columns she consistently transmitted Moscow's narratives: she called the deportation of Ukrainian children “humanitarian evacuations,” and the war a “special operation,” in which the West “decided to continue the conflict.”
Also Fedorova claimed that the missile strike on the Uspensky Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was part of the “Western narrative,” that the West itself is responsible for prolonging the war, and that the Baltic states are engaged in “heroizing Nazism.”
It was precisely such appearances that the French authorities recognized not as personal opinion but as a systematic spread of Russian state propaganda.
The decision regarding Fedorova was prepared in secrecy
French politicians and disinformation experts increasingly called her “the Kremlin’s voice” inside the country.
An important precedent was Germany’s experience. In 2024 year Fedorova was banned from entering Germany due to “activity involving interference” at Ruptly, where she worked in Berlin before moving to Paris. French authorities expressly referred to this ban when choosing a similar path.
The decision was prepared for several months in secrecy: it was necessary to construct a legally robust argument that would withstand court challenges. What particularly irritated the authorities was her interference in France’s internal agenda and criticism of the participation of the “coalition of the willing” in the 14 July parade.
After the deportation order was issued, Fedorova was placed under house arrest with daily police reporting. Her assets were frozen for six months.
Fedorova’s lawyer Emmanuel Pivnikan told AFP that the Ministry of the Interior’s decision is a “serious violation of freedom of expression for a journalist who always conducted his work as independently as possible.” He confirmed that the defense would immediately appeal the expulsion decision.
France’s Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunès responded firmly: this is “not an attack on freedom of expression.” According to France24, he said it was a “very serious case — an attack on the fundamental interests of the nation.” Fedorova, he stressed, “simply and directly broadcasts Russian propaganda.”
Election year 2027: the Fedorova case could become a precedent for Europe
After the expulsion decision, many French media outlets called what is happening a historic decision. In fact, the French Ministry of the Interior for the first time equated the work of a journalist, a media figure, with a threat to national security.
France is entering a long pre-election campaign ahead of the presidential elections 2027 year. French intelligence services and officials warn about the risk of foreign influence, cyberattacks, and information operations that may accompany the upcoming election campaign.
Therefore, the actions of Fedorova are assessed not merely as more fake news or disinformation. It is about systemic activity, foreign interference, and a threat to national security.
Since the start of the war Europe has consistently closed Russian channels, imposed sanctions on media companies, and limited their broadcasting. Now France is taking the next step — trying to expel a person not for espionage or a criminal offense, but for activity that it regards as part of Russia’s information war.
That is why the Ksenia Fedorova case is closely watched not only in Paris. If French courts find the Ministry of the Interior’s decision lawful (and Fedorova’s lawyer intends to appeal), it could become an example for other EU countries.
Another thing is that channels that regularly gave Fedorova airtime and the media empire of billionaire Vincent Bolloré do not disappear. By the way, a new high-profile interview with Yulia Mendel appeared exactly in the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, from Bolloré’s pool. As they say, a coincidence? But it is for the French to decide — they have only just begun.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Тиха війна з російськими пропагандистами: чому Франція вирішила вислати Ксенію Федорову". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: KP.UA.
