French Prosecutors Investigate Possible Russian Disinformation Campaign Targeting Presidential Candidates
French prosecutors have launched an investigation into a suspected Russian disinformation campaign targeting centrist candidates in the upcoming presidential elections, as announced by the Paris prosecutor’s office on Tuesday, according to AFP.
The inquiry focuses on deepfake videos and false content circulating on social media related to the two leading centrist candidates, former Prime Ministers Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, the Paris prosecutor’s office stated.
Previously, prosecutors had already opened an investigation regarding disinformation efforts directed at left-wing MEP Raphael Glucksmann, a vocal critic of the Kremlin. Although he has not officially declared his candidacy for next year’s presidential race, he is seen as a potential contender.
False Content on Social Media
Fabricated content detected on platform X falsely attributed to legitimate French news outlets claimed that Attal suffers from Parkinson’s disease and suggested Philippe was also ill.
Meanwhile, Glucksmann has been targeted by misleading information regarding his partner, journalist Lea Salame, who hosts the main evening news program on France 2 TV.
A security source, who requested anonymity, indicated that these operations have remained discreet for now but are the first to directly target candidates in the French presidential elections.
The prosecutor’s actions “demonstrate that judicial authorities take seriously the gravity of these digital interference tactics and the necessity to protect the integrity of the democratic debate they aim to distort,” stated Attal’s legal team on Tuesday.
Glucksmann also emphasized, “It is essential to assert this simple fact: we cannot allow Vladimir Putin’s Russia to manipulate the 2027 presidential elections—elections that are existential for the French people.”
Suspected Perpetrators
Viginum, the French agency dedicated to combating foreign disinformation campaigns, has attributed the operation targeting Attal to the pro-Russian network “Matrioșka” with a high degree of confidence.
A security source revealed that another propaganda network linked to Russia, Storm-1516, is behind the campaigns against Glucksmann and Philippe.
According to Viginum, from late 2023 to March 2025, Storm-1516 has orchestrated at least 77 disinformation operations targeting Western countries.
German intelligence services are also reportedly investigating a disinformation operation linked to Storm-1516.
