📰⚖️ France tackles pro-Russian disinformation ahead of elections
Oneliner
French authorities have identified a pro-Russian disinformation operation targeting President Emmanuel Macron, linked to the Storm-1516 network. Viginum detected the operation, which involved a fake website impersonating France Soir. Concurrently, over a hundred fake news sites have been removed as part of efforts to protect electoral integrity ahead of the March 2026 municipal elections. While no specific foreign interference targeting these elections has been detected, the government is enhancing measures to safeguard the electoral process.
Key points
- French authorities identified a disinformation operation linked to Russia targeting President Macron.
- Over a hundred fake news sites impersonating local media have been removed from the Internet.
- The government is enhancing measures to protect electoral integrity ahead of the March 2026 municipal elections.
- No specific foreign interference targeting the upcoming elections has been detected.
Links
- BFMTV: INFO BFMTV. Une opération d'ingérence russe destinée à faire croire à une implication d'Emmanuel Macron...
- Le Figaro: Affaire Epstein : la France a identifié une opération de désinformation liée à la Russie visant Emmanuel Macron
- Le Figaro: Ingérences étrangères : plus d’une centaine de faux sites d’information créés par un réseau pro-russe supprimés
Facts
- Disinformation operation linked to Storm-1516 detected on February 6, 2026.
- More than a hundred fake .fr websites impersonating local media removed.
- Campaign by Storm-1516 began in February 2024.
- Election Coordination and Protection Network (RCPE) being established.
- No specific foreign interference targeting the 2026 municipal elections identified.
Quotes
- The risk associated with this campaign is now assessed as low, insofar as the vast majority of .fr sites are no longer active. — SGDSN spokesperson
- No attempt specifically targeting the municipal elections has been identified. — SGDSN spokesperson
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