www.iss.europa.eu Russia-Linked Electoral Interference Targets French Presidential Candidates
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- •Russia-linked networks are targeting French presidential candidates with disinformation.
- •The French government is proposing stricter penalties for electoral disinformation.
- •A cyberattack disrupted online voting in left-wing primaries on 9 October.
Russia-linked networks have targeted at least three candidates in France's upcoming presidential elections with deepfakes and forged media reports. The attacks have prompted criminal investigations and a proposed government bill to triple penalties for electoral disinformation. Notably, the Storm-1516 group, linked to Russia's GRU, spread false health claims about former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, while the Matryoshka network falsely claimed that Gabriel Attal had Parkinson's disease. These incidents have raised concerns about electoral integrity, especially after a cyberattack on 9 October that disrupted online voting in left-wing primaries. The French government has been proactive, having previously identified a large-scale Russian disinformation campaign in 2024 and 2025, making France the second most targeted country after Ukraine. As the election date approaches, interference attempts are expected to escalate, potentially leading to a refusal to accept the election results by the losing camp.
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