France has ordered the expulsion of Xenia Fedorova, the former head of RT France, after accusing the Russian journalist of spreading Kremlin propaganda on French television and radio, including on channels owned by the Bolloré group, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
Since being notified of the ministerial order on Wednesday, Fedorova has been placed under house arrest, according to a source close to the case.
She is required to report daily to a police station.
Her lawyer Emmanuel Piwnica said his client would immediately appeal the order.
"Xenia Fedorova is a journalist," he said. "This decision is a serious infringement of the freedom of expression of a journalist who has always carried out her work in the most proper manner possible."
The Russian media personality regularly appears on the CNews television channel, Europe 1 radio and writes a column forweekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), spreading Kremlin talking points about Ukraine and the West.
The former head of Russia Today (RT) France has been living and working in France for ten years.
Disinformation experts have raised the alarm about the influence of Fedorova, the former journalist and head of Russia's state-run channel RT, as France heads for a presidential election next year.
French newspaper Liberation cited the expulsion order as accusing her of acting "as a conduit for disinformation campaigns orchestrated by the Russian authorities" with the aim of "destabilising public order" in France.
France believes that the polemicist “aimed at manipulating public opinion" and "undermining the trust of European citizens, and in particular French citizens, in their institutions," the decree continues.
RT France was shut down in 2023, a year after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
But Fedorova remained, securing a role as a commentator for outlets within conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré's media empire.
In a joint statement, Canal+, owner of the CNews television channel, and Lagardère, which owns Europe 1 radio, said a diversity of opinions was important for democratic debate.
"Freedom of expression is not defended only when the opinions expressed are widely shared," they said.
"It is defended precisely when those opinions disturb or provoke disagreement, provided that they form part of democratic debate, as is the case across all of our media outlets."
But many critics and media experts say that, while there is no evidence of any links between Fedorova and the Kremlin, she should be regarded as an agent of influence.
Elsewhere in Europe, Xenia Fedorova is already banned from entering Germany, a source close to the matter told French news agency AFP.
(AFP)
