French officials have accused Russian actors of engaging in a digital information manipulation campaign against France, supported by Russian state entities. The campaign, monitored for over a year, involved the creation of fake websites imitating French government departments and national media outlets, as well as the use of counterfeit social media accounts.
Russian embassies and cultural centers were accused of actively participating in amplifying the disinformation campaign, which aimed to undermine democratic institutions and impede peaceful democratic debates.
The Vigilance and Protection Service against Foreign Digital Interference (VIGINUM) of France detailed the campaign, revealing its extensive use of typosquatting and the establishment of new media websites.
This operation seems to be part of a broader effort identified by Meta in the past, where Russian actors also impersonated Western news outlets like The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and Italy’s ANSA news agency. VIGINUM, under France’s General Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN), published an official report warning that the campaign sought to propagate false narratives to weaken French support for Ukraine.
The false narratives pushed by the campaign included claims that sanctions against Russia were ineffective and detrimental to European countries, Western states were Russophobic, the Ukrainian armed forces were barbaric and linked to neo-Nazis, and hosting Ukrainian refugees had negative effects on the host countries.
To propagate these narratives, the campaign impersonated four popular French daily newspapers, including 20 Minutes, Le Monde, Le Parisien, and Le Figaro, publishing at least 58 articles on fake sites. One example highlighted by Meta involved a fabricated story suggesting that Ukraine staged a massacre of civilians in Bucha, contradicting evidence documented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Last December, Meta attributed this influence campaign to two specific Russian companies, Structura National Technology and Social Design Agency. The operation primarily targeted Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom with narratives centered around the war in Ukraine.
French officials firmly condemned these actions, emphasizing that France would continue supporting Ukraine despite Russian attempts at manipulation, labeling them unworthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
