France has ordered Russian commentator Xenia Fedorova to leave the country, the interior ministry said Wednesday, after accusations she was churning out Kremlin propaganda on French television and radio.
Since being notified of the order, Fedorova, who works for a conservative billionaire’s media empire, has been placed under house arrest, according to a source close to the case. She is required to report daily to a police station.
Disinformation experts have raised the alarm about the influence of the former journalist for Russia’s state-run channel RT, as France heads for a presidential election next year.
Fedorova’s employers said they were astonished to learn of the expulsion order, which they said amounted to “a particularly serious infringement of freedom of expression”.
The former head of the French arm of RT, which was banned in France after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, is a commentator for outlets within French billionaire Vincent Bollore’s broadcasting powerhouse.
French daily Le Monde has described Fedorova as a “protege” of Bollore, 74.
She regularly appears on the CNews television channel and Europe 1 radio and writes for Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper, spreading Kremlin talking points about Ukraine and the West.
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French newspaper Liberation cited the expulsion order as accusing Fedorova of acting “as a conduit for disinformation campaigns orchestrated by the Russian authorities” with the aim of “destabilising public order” in France.
The order accused Fedorova of contributing to the dissemination of disinformation aimed at “manipulating public opinion” and “undermining the confidence of European citizens, and particularly French citizens, in their institutions”.
‘Defamatory Falsehoods’
In 2017, President Emmanuel Macron implied that Fedorova was not a journalist.
“When media outlets spread defamatory falsehoods, they are no longer journalists. They are instruments of influence,” he said.
Asked about Fedorova in June, Macron said his opinion of her remained unchanged.
Fedorova’s lawyer Emmanuel Piwnica told AFP on Wednesday his client would “immediately” file an appeal.
“Xenia Fedorova is a journalist,” he said.
“This decision is a serious infringement of the freedom of expression of a journalist who has always carried out her work in the most proper manner possible.”
In a joint statement, Canal+, owner of the CNews television channel, and Lagardere, which owns Europe 1 radio, said a diversity of opinions was important for democratic debate.
“Freedom of expression is not defended only when the opinions expressed are widely shared,” they said.
“It is defended precisely when those opinions disturb or provoke disagreement, provided that they form part of democratic debate, as is the case across all of our media outlets.”
But many critics and media experts say that, while there is no evidence of any links between Fedorova and the Kremlin, she should be regarded as an agent of influence.
French officials had previously expressed frustration with the commentator’s pro-Kremlin line but said there was little they could do.
The authorities extended Fedorova’s residence permit by 10 years in 2024.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in May that opening up airwaves and columns to Fedorova was “simply doing Vladimir Putin’s bidding”.
Members of the centrist Renew group in the European Parliament have called on the European Union to impose sanctions on Fedorova, describing her as a “well-known Russian propagandist”.
In her book, “Bannie” (“Banned”), published last year, Fedorova portrays herself as a victim of state censorship.
AFP
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