France orders Russian media figure Xenia Fedorova to leave over alleged Kremlin propaganda

France has ordered Russian commentator Xenia Fedorova to leave the country, accusing the former head of RT France of acting as a channel for Kremlin disinformation and seeking to undermine public trust in French and European institutions.

The expulsion order, confirmed by France’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday, marks one of the strongest actions taken by Paris against a high-profile Russian media figure since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Fedorova has been placed under house arrest pending her departure and is required to report daily to a police station, according to a source close to the case.

Her lawyer said the decision would be challenged immediately, while the media groups employing her condemned the measure as a serious violation of freedom of expression.

According to the expulsion order, cited by French media, Fedorova acted “as a conduit for disinformation campaigns orchestrated by the Russian authorities” with the aim of “destabilising public order” in France.

The document also accuses her of contributing to the dissemination of disinformation intended to manipulate public opinion and undermine the confidence of French and European citizens in their institutions.

From RT France to French media

Fedorova previously headed the French branch of RT (Russia Today), the Russian state-funded broadcaster whose operations in the European Union were banned shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Following RT France’s closure, she became a regular commentator across the media empire of French conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré. She frequently appears on the CNews television channel and Europe 1 radio and also writes for the weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

French daily Le Monde has described Fedorova as a protégé of Bolloré.

Disinformation researchers have repeatedly expressed concern over Fedorova’s public interventions, arguing that they consistently echoed Kremlin narratives on Russia’s war against Ukraine and Western policy.

French newspaper Libération, which first reported details of the expulsion order, said the authorities concluded that her activities went beyond opinion journalism and formed part of broader Russian influence operations.

Legal challenge

Fedorova rejects the accusations.

Her lawyer, Emmanuel Piwnica, said she would “immediately” appeal the decision.

“Xenia Fedorova is a journalist,” he said, describing the expulsion as “a serious infringement of the freedom of expression of a journalist who has always carried out her work in the most proper manner possible.”

Canal+, which owns CNews, and Lagardère, owner of Europe 1, also criticised the government’s decision. In a joint statement, the companies argued that democratic debate depends on the existence of diverse opinions. “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.”

Long-running tensions

The case reflects years of tension between French authorities and Fedorova.

In 2017, President Emmanuel Macron drew a distinction between journalism and foreign influence operations, referring to Russian state media. “When media outlets spread defamatory falsehoods, they are no longer journalists. They are instruments of influence,” Macron said at the time.

Asked again about Fedorova in June, the French president said his assessment had not changed.

Despite official concern over her editorial line, French authorities renewed Fedorova’s residence permit for ten years in 2024.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot later sharpened the government’s criticism, saying in May that providing airtime and newspaper columns to Fedorova amounted to “simply doing Vladimir Putin’s bidding”.

Members of the centrist Renew group in the European Parliament have also called on the EU to impose sanctions on Fedorova, describing her as a “well-known Russian propagandist”.

Fedorova has rejected such characterisations. In her 2025 book Bannie (“Banned”), she presents herself as the victim of state censorship.

Wider crackdown on Russian influence

The decision comes against the backdrop of a broader Western effort to counter Russian information operations following the invasion of Ukraine.

The European Union banned the broadcasting and distribution of RT and Sputnik across the bloc in March 2022, arguing that both outlets functioned as instruments of the Kremlin’s propaganda apparatus.

The campaign against Russian influence has since widened.

In 2024, the EU imposed sanctions on four Russian propaganda outlets, including Voice of Europe. Czech intelligence services said the platform had been used to spread anti-Ukrainian disinformation under the direction of pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who was also sanctioned.

The G7 Rapid Response Mechanism – established in 2018 to counter foreign information manipulation, has likewise intensified its warnings about Russian influence campaigns.

In a joint statement issued in January 2025, G7 members and partner countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand, said they had taken note of investigations by the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada alleging that RT and the Social Design Agency were involved in covert efforts coordinated and funded by the Kremlin.

Sources: European Pravda, Euronews, Reuters, France24

Caption: Xenia Fedorova interviews Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of commemorations marking the centenary of the World War I Armistice in November 2018. The image was published on Fedorova’s Facebook profile with the caption: “My exclusive with Vladimir Putin on the sides of the marking the centenary of the World War One Armistice.”