France's presidential election, scheduled for spring 2027, is already facing a wave of misinformation and suspected foreign interference. Independent researchers and French authorities have identified a coordinated campaign that has prompted criminal complaints and raised concerns about the integrity of the vote.
The campaign, detected by the bot-tracking network AntiBot4Navalny, has been linked to Matryoshka, a covert influence operation aligned with Russian interests. Initially, the focus was on Gabriel Attal, the former prime minister who is seeking to succeed Emmanuel Macron. Attal filed a criminal complaint alleging foreign interference originating from Russian networks after fabricated videos impersonating French news outlets circulated online.
These fake videos, bearing the logos and visual identity of respected outlets such as Le Figaro and Libération, attempted to smear Attal by linking him to political scandals. Some posts questioned his health, with false headlines claiming he had been hospitalised or that he had Parkinson's disease. Others, paradoxically, alleged that Attal had launched a campaign against "nonexistent" Russian disinformation to block the social media platform X, or that he had paid news outlets to spread disinformation about him. One particularly outlandish claim suggested he had considered fabricating an assassination plot against himself to blame Russia.
According to AFP, which reviewed Attal's complaint, his lawyers argued that the fake content could undermine the credibility of the upcoming election. They also noted that France's Secretariat-General for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) and Viginum, the foreign interference watchdog, had warned Attal about the campaign targeting him. Attal's office did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Shift to Édouard Philippe
After the initial wave against Attal, researchers observed that the Matryoshka network shifted its attention to Édouard Philippe, another former prime minister and a contender in the presidential race. The posts against Philippe follow a similar pattern, mimicking outlets such as Le Monde and AFP to blend real circumstances with distorted claims.
One post falsely claims that a politician admitted Philippe orchestrated corruption in an investigation involving the association LH French Tech. Philippe is currently under investigation over alleged financial wrongdoing, but there is no evidence that Stéphanie de Bazelaire, who is also implicated, made such claims. The probe centres on a four-year agreement worth €2.154 million between the Le Havre metropolitan authority and LH French Tech to run the city's digital innovation hub while Philippe was mayor of Le Havre. Financial prosecutors are investigating him for alleged embezzlement of public funds, favouritism, illegal conflict of interest, and financial misconduct by a public official. Philippe has consistently denied wrongdoing and says he is cooperating fully with the investigation.
Other posts claim that Philippe apologised for referring to inhabitants of France's former colonies as "scum," and that a company owned by his wife supplied toxic components for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. However, there is no credible evidence to support either claim, nor any record of the impersonated outlets publishing these reports.
This is not the first time the Matryoshka network has targeted elections. A parallel campaign using the same methods has also aimed at candidates in Germany's upcoming state elections in September. The development underscores the growing challenge of foreign disinformation in European democratic processes, a concern that has also prompted French newspapers to take Google to regulator over AI summaries, as part of broader efforts to protect media integrity.
As the 2027 campaign unfolds, French authorities and independent researchers are on high alert. The cases of Attal and Philippe highlight how easily fabricated content can spread, and the importance of robust verification and legal recourse. For voters, the lesson is to approach sensational claims with caution and rely on trusted news sources.
