President Emmanuel Macron said Xenia Fedorova continues to serve as a relay for Russian state propaganda during a visit to Montenegro [1].
The statement highlights the ongoing tension between France and the Kremlin regarding the influence of state-funded media and the dissemination of strategic narratives within Europe.
Macron targeted Fedorova, a journalist and former director of the French-language service of Russia Today, by asserting that her role in spreading state messaging persists [2]. The president linked her current activities to her previous professional history, saying that she was once in charge of a Russian state propaganda agency [3].
During his remarks, Macron emphasized a lack of evolution in Fedorova's approach to reporting and political influence. "Les choses n'ont pas changé depuis 2017," Macron said [1]. This reference points to the year 2017 [4], when Fedorova held a leadership position within the Russian state media apparatus [3].
Macron described Fedorova as an editorialist who serves the interests of the Russian state [5]. He said that as the former general director of Russia Today's French-language channel, she remains a conduit for the Kremlin [5].
The French president made these comments on June 4, 2024 [6], while traveling in Montenegro. The remarks underscore France's efforts to identify and neutralize what it perceives as foreign interference and disinformation campaigns originating from Moscow [2].
Fedorova has previously been a prominent figure in French-language media, often providing a perspective aligned with the Russian government. Macron's public condemnation signals a broader strategy to delegitimize voices that the French government views as extensions of the Russian state's intelligence, or propaganda wings [5].
“"Les choses n'ont pas changé depuis 2017."”
This confrontation reflects the hardening of France's stance against Russian 'soft power' and media influence. By explicitly naming Fedorova and citing her 2017 tenure at RT, Macron is attempting to frame her journalistic output not as independent commentary, but as a continuation of state-directed psychological operations. This move suggests that France may continue to prioritize the exposure of state-linked media figures to counter the spread of Kremlin narratives in Western Europe.
