FRENCH GOVERNMENT ACCUSES RUSSIA OF BEING BEHIND MEGA DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN

Tue 13 June 2023:

France accused Russia on Tuesday of leading a disinformation campaign against the country, claiming that manipulation would have no effect on its support for Ukraine, Anadolu Agency reported.

French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre said at a news conference that “fake internet pages impersonating [French] media outlets and government websites, as well as fake accounts on social media,” used by Russian public or state-affiliated actors to spread false information about France,

Among those websites were that of France’s Foreign Ministry, and dailies Le Parisien, Le Figaro, Le Monde and 20 Minutes, she said, adding that German media outlets such as Der Spiegel, Bild, Die Welt and FAZ were also impersonated.

According to Legendre, the investigation launched by the Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference service (VIGINUM) revealed that Russian or Russian-speaking individuals and Russian companies were involved in the campaign.

VIGINUM also found that public or state-affiliated entities – including embassies and Russian cultural centers – were involved in spreading some content produced for the campaign, she added.

This campaign shows Russia’s hybrid strategy to undermine moderate democratic debate, and “to target our democratic institutions,” the spokesperson said, and condemned “these actions unworthy of a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

She stressed that “no manipulation effort will distract France from its support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.”

Despite the shutdown of Kremlin-backed outlets RT and Sputnik, Russian disinformation is still spreading across EU countries. Earlier this month, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová told POLITICO that Russian narratives are finding fertile ground in her country.

In 2021, France created an agency — Viginum — to spot manipulation of information coming from outside the country, which is under the secretariat-general for defence and security’s authority.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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