Deepfakes, Fake News and ‘Rigged’ Vote Claims: Russia Targets France’s 2027 Election

Russian disinformation networks are already targeting potential contenders in France’s 2027 presidential election, using deepfakes, fabricated media reports and false claims about politicians’ health and alleged corruption, according to an analysis by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications. France has become the second-most targeted country for Russian foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), behind only Ukraine, according to the European External Action Service’s fourth threat report, published in March 2026.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The new report, shared by state media Ukrinform, recorded 107 major Russian information attacks targeting France in 2025, compared with 112 against Ukraine. The campaign has intensified as France prepares for its April 18, 2027 presidential election. A second round is scheduled for May 2 if required. President Emmanuel Macron, who has served two terms, is constitutionally barred from seeking another. Russian-linked networks have already targeted three potential successors: former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and European Parliament member Raphaël Glucksmann. Deepfakes target potential candidates One of the first identified operations was Storm-1516, a Russian disinformation network known for fabricated videos, deepfakes and false testimonies. The network targeted Philippe, the former prime minister and mayor of Le Havre, with false claims about his health. Other Topics of Interest Russia’s First Duma Election Since the Full-Scale Invasion: What’s the Significance? Putin wants Russia’s parliamentary vote to demonstrate support for his war, with the only registered anti-war party already excluded from the nationwide ballot. Glucksmann was later targeted by the same operation. A fake news website designed to resemble French outlet Blast claimed that Glucksmann’s wife was trying to bribe media organizations to improve his image ahead of the election. Screenshot of a fake news site resembling French outlet Blast. (Image via Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications) The operation also allegedly stole the identities of French journalists and used fabricated documents to support its claims. Another Russian-linked operation, Matryoshka, targeted Attal. Fake videos styled to resemble reports by French outlets including Le Figaro and Libération circulated online, linking Attal to alleged political scandals. Some posts falsely claimed that Attal had been hospitalized or suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Other fabricated claims alleged that he paid media outlets to spread disinformation about himself and was considering staging an assassination attempt and blaming Russia. Russia also targets France’s electoral system Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications said the campaigns go beyond attacks on individual politicians. The Portal Kombat operation, particularly its network of Pravda-branded websites, has targeted French institutions and the electoral process itself, according to the analysis. The network includes sites such as francais.news-pravda.com and fr.news-pravda.com, which operate as automated content amplifiers. Screenshot of a French site under Russia's Pravda brand amplifying Kremlin narratives. (Image via Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications) One recurring narrative portrays Viginum, France’s agency responsible for countering foreign digital interference, as an instrument of “total control and censorship.” The messaging, according to the Ukrainian analysis, helps lay the groundwork for claims that the 2027 election will be manipulated by the authorities. Other narratives claim France has lost its sovereignty to the US and suggest that a future French president should leave NATO and restore relations with Russia. The campaigns also promote conspiracy theories portraying French authorities as corrupt and unaccountable, while exploiting divisive issues including LGBTQ and gender-related topics. The broader messaging attacks the EU and NATO as sources of lost sovereignty, economic problems and military escalation, according to the Center for Strategic Communications. Telegram becomes a key distribution channel Anonymous websites and Telegram channels appear to play a larger role than Russia’s traditional state-controlled propaganda outlets. The Center said websites accounted for 49.8% of the analyzed content, while Telegram accounted for 47.4% of publications. Official Russian outlets including RT en français, TASS and Sputnik Afrique were also identified, but to a lesser extent. The shift toward anonymous and unaffiliated platforms can make it harder to trace the origin of the content and allows Russian networks to distance themselves from direct attribution, according to the analysis. France opens investigation French authorities have begun responding to the alleged interference. Attal filed a legal complaint after being targeted by deepfakes, describing the campaign as “foreign interference originating from Russian networks.” France’s General Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN) and its Viginum unit alerted Attal to the material. In August, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced an investigation into suspected Russian interference ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The probe currently concerns Philippe and Attal. The Center for Strategic Communications said the documented cases point to a broader Russian effort to shape France’s information environment before the election – targeting both potential candidates and public confidence in the institutions overseeing the democratic process. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.