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Macron targets Fedorova
On Thursday, June 4, Emmanuel Macron warned against Xenia Fedorova, a Russian journalist employed by a right-wing tycoon, saying she was churning out Kremlin propaganda as France weighs freedom of speech and foreign influence.
“Ukraine war attacks St”
Macron said, "I refer you to what I said in Versailles," recalling an earlier exchange in which he replied to Fedorova’s complaint in Russian about access to his campaign headquarters, and he added, "Things have not changed. I think the same," during a visit to Montenegro.
Le Monde reported that Fedorova was the former head of RT’s French arm, which was shut down in 2023, the year after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, and that she later became a commentator for Vincent Bolloré’s media outlets including CNews.
The Le Monde report also said several groups staged a protest in Paris on Wednesday demanding authorities revoke Fedorova’s long-term residence permit, which was extended in 2024, while Macron said, "It is not the president, through a sovereign decision, who revokes or grants residence permits."
Residence permit sparks backlash
Radio France said Fedorova, the former director of RT France, saw her residence title renewed for 10 years in 2024, a decision that several political figures denounced as propaganda.
The Radio France account reported that the government had to justify the presence of Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard on May 21 at an event hosted by Vincent Bolloré, saying that "personne n'avait indiqué la présence" of Xenia Fedorova.
It also quoted Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on France Inter on Monday, June 1, describing the administrative process for residence cards and saying, "c'est-à-dire que l'administration ne peut pas refuser, sauf à engager un contentieux."
In parallel, Le Monde reported that Renew group European Parliament members called on the EU to impose sanctions on Fedorova, while Macron insisted, "There are rules and procedures in our country. They must be respected."
Ukraine war narrative and diplomacy
In the Ukraine war context, La Stampa said Zelensky had to fend off Kremlin accusations about a possible use of a "dirty bomb" intended to disperse radioactive material, and it quoted Zelensky replying, "Only Russia would use nuclear weapons in Europe."
“France's President Emmanuel Macron warned on Thursday, June 4, that a controversial Russian journalist employed by a right-wing tycoon was churning out Kremlin propaganda, as he weighed in on a debate about freedom of speech and foreign influence”
La Stampa also reported that the U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "we will not go to war with Russia but we will provide Ukraine with what it needs to counter Russian aggression," while it noted that Russia accused Kyiv of a "persistent tendency toward further escalation" as it continued to bombard Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
The same La Stampa report described a furor around the Russia Today host, stating, "We must drown the Ukrainian children," and it placed the episode alongside other updates including an explosive device detonating on the railway in Russia’s Bryansk region between Novozybkovo and Zlynka.
Separately, El Mundo said Fedorova told CNews and Europe 1 in May that "Now we know that it was the West who decided to prolong the conflict in Ukraine," and it reported that Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot denounced her as "a proven propagandist who propagates Kremlin disinformation."
