Russia ramps up disinformation attacks on French media ahead of 2027 presidential race

Pro-Russian influence operations have sharply increased fake news stories that mimic established media brands in France, according to a report published this week by NewsGuard. The findings say the campaign has intensified over the past year and is now targeting French outlets at a scale that stands out among the 21 countries examined. The report comes as France moves closer to its 2027 presidential election, adding a political dimension to the information campaign.

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NewsGuard said it identified 950 fake news stories linked to three pro-Russian influence operations, all of which copied 163 supposedly trusted news brands. It said the number of fake stories mimicking known media brands rose by 850% year on year, from 44 in the first half of 2025 to 421 in the first half of 2026. Among the 15 most imitated outlets, eight were French, including FRANCE 24, which the report said was impersonated 34 times over 12 months.

The report said the operations were designed to undermine public trust and deceive artificial intelligence systems, while also discrediting support for Ukraine. It said the same pattern has repeatedly followed visible French backing for Kyiv, including speeches by President Emmanuel Macron or visits to Ukraine. NewsGuard's Europe editor, Chine Labbé, said France is being specifically targeted because it is one of the biggest contributors of aid to Ukraine.

The findings also point to a wider effort to influence the political environment ahead of the 2027 vote. The report said three presidential figures who have expressed strong support for Ukraine - Raphaël Glucksmann, Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe - have recently been targeted by fake news stories linked to pro-Russian groups. That suggests the campaign is not limited to media impersonation, but is also being used to shape perceptions of candidates and public debate.

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NewsGuard said the report was compiled with the Ukrainian Centre for Countering Disinformation, the French government agency Viginum and the research group Antibot4Navalny. The collaboration underlines how disinformation monitoring has become a cross-border issue, involving both national and international actors. It also reflects growing concern in Europe that influence operations are becoming more sophisticated and more difficult to detect.

The report places France among the most exposed countries in the current wave of information warfare. France has been a prominent supporter of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion, and the report argues that this has made it a recurring target for hostile messaging. The use of familiar media brands is significant because it can make false material appear credible to readers and, increasingly, to automated systems that process online content.

What remains unclear is how far the campaign has spread beyond the examples identified in the report, and whether the trend will intensify as the election approaches. The report does not say which specific platforms carried the fake stories or how widely they were shared. The next stage to watch is whether French authorities, media organisations and election officials respond with new countermeasures before the 2027 race enters its main phase.

#France #Russia #disinformation #mediaimpersonation #2027election

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