Elīna Vrobļevska, Researcher at the Centre for East European policy studies

France has been one of the main targets of Russian cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns this year, largely due to the European Parliament elections this week. However, alongside the Kremlin’s current disinformation targets, there is a long-standing, systematic effort in the Russian and European information space to cast doubt on France’s standing among its Western allies and the professional and personal qualities and motivations of its President. The Kremlin’s information manipulation tactics against France are more like a finely planned dinner than a trip to the canteen because much of the news published in the Russian media is genuine – both quoting politicians and reprinting news from reliable news sources. But the devil, as always, is in the detail: context, or in some cases the lack of it, or the sharpness of the position taken by France, are used as opportunities to “add to” the Kremlin narrative by refuting what has been written before or to allow the reader (the consumer of Kremlin propaganda) to draw his or her conclusions.

The voices of “experts”

One of the tactics used to shape the Russian information space, but particularly blatant in the case of news about France, is the use of statements by politicians, experts, and military officers.  The main themes that emerge in the narratives of these “experts” are criticism of France’s NATO membership, its military support for Ukraine, and the possibility that France might send troops to Ukraine. The absolute favourite in Russian online media like TASS is Florian Philippot, leader of “The Patriots” party (Les Patriotes), who is radical in his statements, calling for France to leave NATO, to stop financial and military aid to Ukraine, and to start a dialogue with Russia. Pro-Russian or even ambiguous statements by French representatives are actively spread to create an impression of France’s divided position on Ukraine. Moreover, the fact that some of these politicians are mentioned in articles as candidates for the European Parliament and their party affiliation is defined could also be an indirect attempt to influence the information space in the run-up to the forthcoming elections.

Meanwhile, “experts” in the relevant fields are used to create doubts and negative emotions against France’s support for Ukraine, framing it as an economic burden and an element of escalation.” Experts” are also used to justify the Kremlin’s fake news and claims, such as the active presence of French soldiers on the Ukrainian front. In this way, something akin to a conspiracy theory is being spun, with France as the central actor, secretly taking part in the war without telling anyone.

The particular tactic of the Kremlin creating its own narrative through the statements of “experts”, politicians, and specialists in the field is applied precisely in descriptions of current events and practical situations, which serve as a reality-breaking tool for the consumers of this information.

Kremlin-style love

French President Emmanuel Macron is one of the objects of Russian information manipulation and has been since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine, which is also linked to his political activism in relation to Russia. By commenting on and interpreting his statements and actions, the Kremlin is actively trying to discredit the French President, not only as a leader of his own country but also as an international leader, which is being done in several ways.

In recent months, Macron’s now repeatedly vocal suggestion of sending French troops to the front in Ukraine has been particularly popular among Russian Foreign Ministry officials. Macron’s repeated statements are used to discredit his words, implying the falsity of the claims with facts constructed by the Kremlin, which are contradictory. While one source may claim that French soldiers have been at the front “for a long time”, others discuss the readiness to send military personnel to appointed places.

The Kremlin also makes personal remarks about the French President. The determination to make Macron look like an irrational leader is evident in the chauvinistic way in which comments such as his above-mentioned remarks are made about “the days of the month” and that “the President has such a cycle”. Elsewhere, it is pointed out that Macron “breathes prehistoric Russophobia” just to gain leadership in Europe, comparing him to Hitler and Napoleon, who also saw Russia as a major threat.

At the same time, the Russian media are using more subtle tactics: instead of discrediting Macron’s personality by using the President’s loud statements, they are directly “left” in the information space, without providing the context of what was said, which at the same time frames the statements in a Russia-friendly light. This applies to the statements about the need for Europe to be ready to engage with Russia after the end of the conflict in Ukraine, the need for continued dialogue with Russia, the need for Europe not to become a vassal of the US, and the need for Europe to demonstrate its ability to work with everyone. These quotations are being spread through Russian information channels and serve several purposes. On the one hand, they create an image of France as a country “friendly” to Russia, but on the other hand, they aim to sow doubts about France’s loyalty to the Western bloc by creating an image of Macron as a “diplomatic leader” – in the Kremlin’s preferred sense of the term.

The Kremlin’s narratives on Macron’s personal and political leadership can be characterised as aimed at creating a certain image of one of Europe’s most influential leaders. This is an image of an emotionally unstable leader who, on the one hand, clings so tightly to his power that he is prepared to sacrifice the country’s prosperity and international security. On the other hand, however, when it comes to fitting in with Russia’s preferred discourse, Macron suddenly becomes rational and diplomatic by default, or without poisonous remarks from the Kremlin.

The fine art of splitting

The efforts to discredit a united Western approach in the context of the current security situation are not only based on Macron’s person and statements but also on doubts and questions about France’s foreign policy stance in general. Flooding the information space with mutually contradictory statements about France’s political stance is the Kremlin’s dominant method of misleading its audience. On the one hand, France’s alleged surrender of its sovereignty to NATO is widely criticised, while on the other, its alleged invitation to Russia to take part in peace talks is widely discussed. It is pointed out that France is mincing its words in its support for Ukraine, while at the same time, it is claimed that its citizens have been fighting on the Ukrainian front since the beginning of the war.

Russia is also actively recirculating news reflecting the “close relationship” between France and China. While this cannot be considered disinformation, in the context of Russian-Chinese relations, framing France in this way contributes to “bringing it closer” to the Russian-Chinese axis, distancing it from the West or making assumptions about the political relations between the allies and the unity of the political front. Moreover, by emphasising China-France cooperation, for example on the issue of the ceasefire in Ukraine, the narrative of Russia’s desire to end the war and the West’s efforts to escalate the situation, or once again ‘humiliate’ Russia in the peace process, is being indirectly promoted.

France’s indirect alignment with Russia’s closest strategic partner, as well as the creation of different, contradictory narrative streams, are aimed at creating misconceptions about France’s politics and its role as a strong player in the West – both among Russian audiences and among societies beyond Russia’s borders. The implicit questioning of France’s political intentions and loyalty through “association with the enemy” is done to actively undermine support and confidence in France’s intentions and the real aims of its policies, which at the end of the day could lead to a swaying of France’s position as a leader and of Macron himself. The desire to destabilise France and its leader only confirms the Kremlin’s perception of France as a powerful player that threatens Moscow’s objectives in Ukraine.

Russia’s disinformation and manipulation of information about France, its leader, and the country’s foreign policy stance is evidence of the Kremlin’s aim to divide Western unity on its support for Ukraine. France has naturally been singled out as the main target of information manipulation, given its influence in shaping the political agenda of NATO and the EU. The Kremlin’s strategy towards France in the information space looks like weakening the “enemy” from within, casting doubt on France’s political motivation and position, questioning the leader’s personality and rationality, and associating him with the “adversary”, taking advantage of China’s foreign policy stance while flooding the information space with contradictory narratives about all of the things mentioned above.

* Material first published on Delfi.lv

* The creation of this fact-checking material was funded by the European Media and Information Foundation, managed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.