As France enters its presidential campaign, Russia is intensifying its use of information manipulation as a weapon of war. Chief propagandist Margarita Simonyan proclaimed as recently as May 26th: "We are fighting against all of Europe." This battle is not being fought on the front lines in Ukraine, but in our newsrooms, on our television sets, and in our minds.

The proof has just been given. While Édouard Philippe and Bruno Retailleau, two presidential candidates, were in Kyiv to affirm France's support for Ukraine, a Russian propagandist, Xenia Fedorova, responded to them from the CNews studio. According to her, Philippe and Retailleau's visit sent "a strange message, since it would require dialogue with Russia." For a Kremlin mouthpiece to thus attack French candidates in the midst of their campaigns, echoing Moscow's line in strict accordance with the war line, is no longer a matter of opinion: it is interference in our electoral debate and a threat to our democracy.

Xenia Fedorova is the former president of RT France, a channel banned in the European Union—a ban upheld, despite Ms. Fedorova's claims, by the European Court of Justice. She now appears, without serious opposition and with increasing influence, on CNews, Europe 1, and in the JDD, media outlets owned by the Bolloré group. She is not a journalist: lacking a press card, she runs a "media consulting" firm under her former name, Ksenya Borchik. She avoids any debate. And her influence is growing: the removal of General Clermont, the sidelining of experts, and Pascal Praud's remarks blaming NATO for the war. Trained by Simonian, who brought her to France, she is the acknowledged instrument of the cognitive warfare waged by an aggressor state.

Sergei Lavrov's complacent and distressing interview with Léa Salamé on France-Télévisions — immediately exploited by the Kremlin's propaganda apparatus, in France, in Russia and internationally — showed, even on the public service, the extent to which Putin's propaganda targets France.

The French authorities cannot remain inactive. We demand:

1. to Arcom , to examine without delay the reports and testimonies concerning Ms. Fedorova and to monitor the respect, by CNews and Europe 1, of the honesty of information and pluralism on the Russian aggression;

2. to the government, to examine, within the framework of the legal instruments available at the national and European level, the measures that could be applied to Ms. Fedorova, on account of her role in disseminating narratives aligned with the Kremlin's positions and the legitimate questions that her activities raise with regard to public order.

In particular, the government must examine the possibility

- to propose that Ms. Fedorova be included on the list of persons sanctioned under Regulation (EU) 2024/2642 concerning destabilizing activities carried out by Russia;

- to re-examine his situation with regard to the right of residence, in compliance with applicable guarantees.

Let no one be mistaken: these requests do not infringe upon freedom of expression. Everyone remains free to hold their own opinions; but no one has the right to use a national media outlet to serve the war propaganda of a foreign state.

France, moreover, has subscribed, through Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to the principle that "all propaganda in favor of war is prohibited by law." It is time for it to draw the necessary conclusions.

DEMONSTRATION ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD AT 6 PM

CORNER OF BALARD-CÉVENNES STREET

NEAR THE CNEWS OFFICES

75015 PARIS

BALARD OR JAVEL METRO

COME ONE, COME ALL!

Organizers (in alphabetical order):

• Acting Together for Ukraine

• Women's Alliance for Democracy

• Association of Ukrainian Women in France

• Diderot Committee

• Cyrille Amoursky ·

• Georgia as seen from France

• Kalyna

• Memorial 98

• Our students in France

• Ukrainian Perspectives

• For Ukraine, for their freedom and ours!

• European Network of Solidarity with Ukraine (RESU)

• Russia-Freedoms

• Ukraine Comb'Art

• Union of Ukrainians in France.