Alleged Russian interference against French candidate

A Russian disinformation campaign has targeted Gabriel Attal, a prominent French presidential candidate, French government bodies and a member of his team have reported. The alleged interference, detected by Viginum, France's agency combating online disinformation, is attributed with high confidence to the pro-Russia "Matryoshka" network.

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external interference originating from Russia and bodies linked to the Russian central government

The campaign, which remained relatively low-profile with only a few thousand views, spread fabricated content on X (formerly Twitter). Posts impersonated legitimate French media outlets, falsely claiming Attal, a former centrist prime minister, had Parkinson's disease or supported more favorable policies for squatters. A source close to Attal suggested the attack might be motivated by his "commitment to Ukraine."

This incident is the latest in a series of alleged Russian-linked interference operations targeting French politicians. Last week, authorities detected a similar campaign against Raphael Glucksmann, a left-wing European Parliament member and vocal Kremlin critic. That effort was traced to the Storm-1516 propaganda network, linked to Russian intelligence. The same group also targeted former prime minister Edouard Philippe last month with false information about his health.

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high-degree of confidence

The alleged interference comes as France prepares for its presidential election next year, with far-right parties seen as having a strong chance of winning. French authorities are increasingly vigilant against external influence operations seeking to shape the political landscape.

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commitment to Ukraine