French authorities accused Fedorova of threatening public safety, while a Russian blogger described increasing pressure on Pavel Durov.
France has ordered the expulsion of Ksenia Fedorova, the former editor-in-chief of RT France, according to Moscow Times.
The newspaper reported that Paris police served the deportation order to Fedorova’s lawyer on July 30. French authorities said the Russian national’s conduct “undermines the fundamental interests of the state” and that her continued presence threatens public order.
Kremlin’s long-history of mingling with French elections and use of hybrid warfare tactics are part of the reason.
Turns out, Fedorova was accused of spreading Russian propaganda and disinformation intended to influence public opinion. Authorities said such activity could weaken European citizens’ trust in public institutions, particularly in France.
France’s media regulator, Arcom, opened proceedings against RT France in February 2022. French authorities managed to freeze the broadcaster’s bank accounts in January 2023, forcing it to cease operations. French authorities have been cracking on Russian propaganda in the country for the past four years.
Fedorova remained in France and later joined the conservative television channel CNews, which got fined 200,000 euros! One outlet reported that she continued promoting Kremlin narratives even there.
Separately, a Russian blogger questioned Russia’s reported action against Telegram founder Pavel Durov. The blogger argued that terrorist recruitment and intelligence gathering occur across many platforms, including Telegram, VK, Max, WhatsApp, Instagram and even Yandex services.
According to the her, Russian authorities may have used messages from the VK dating community “Daivinchik” as evidence against Durov. The blogger described the campaign as a political decision made “from above,” rather than an independent move by the Federal Security Service, arguing that it will hurt combat operations in Ukraine among Russian troops.
