(PARIS) – France has ordered the expulsion of Ksenia Fedorova, the former head of the Kremlin-funded RT France channel, accusing her of acting as an intermediary in Russian disinformation campaigns that damage the country’s fundamental interests.
French media reported on 29 July 2026, citing Interior Ministry sources, that Fedorova received an official order to leave French territory. The ministry’s order explicitly states her activities serve as a conduit for disinformation operations conducted by Russian authorities.
The document asserts Fedorova’s work, posing as journalism, constitutes foreign interference in French affairs and undermines public support for Ukraine. Journalist Denis Kataev, who participated in protests against Fedorova, noted she is not legally registered as a journalist but as a consultant, yet appears on conservative media outlets owned by businessman Vincent Bolloré, such as the CNews channel.
“She is not simply a person expressing a position. She is the personification of foreign interference in the affairs of France,” Kataev told the Popular Politics channel, adding that she had been misleading the public about her professional status to push Kremlin narratives.
Fedorova remains under de facto house arrest in a Paris flat, obliged to report daily to a police station. Despite the expulsion order, she is expected to challenge the decision using France’s independent judicial system, a right Kataev highlighted with irony, given that such legal protections do not exist in the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s state.
The decision follows a protest by French journalists and activists outside CNews, who objected to Fedorova promoting a pro-Kremlin agenda. Kataev suggested a “red line” was crossed when she disparaged the Bastille Day military parade in July, an event that featured Ukrainian representatives, by claiming the national celebration had been turned into a “NATO festival.”
Public opinion in France remains split. An estimated 11 million voters support far-right politician Marine Le Pen, whose electorate is often receptive to pro-Kremlin framing, yet a clear majority of 60 to 70 percent backs Ukraine against Russia’s war of aggression. Kataev noted that the Russian state news agency TASS still operates a headquarters in a prestigious Parisian district, close to the prime minister’s residence, illustrating the deep entrenchment of Russian propaganda infrastructure.
The expulsion is seen as a victory for civil society groups who have long campaigned for action against individuals acting as mouthpieces for the Kremlin in Europe.
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