Russian Network Used French Riots to Spread Anti-Migrant Lies

A covert Russian network used social media to exploit last month’s riots in France, spreading fabricated reports about migrants and portraying the French government as weak and unable to maintain control, according to an internal EU assessment.The findings were reported by Reuters, which reviewed the EU document and a separate assessment compiled by France’s Foreign Ministry.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The reports also identified social media activity by accounts linked to Israel and the US Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, which promoted what the French assessment described as “hostile narratives” about the unrest.The EU assessment found that a Russian disinformation network known as Operation Overload, circulated videos impersonating Western media outlets to target French audiences. Some posts falsely claimed that migrants had raped protesters or that terrorist attacks were imminent.The operation also sought to portray French leaders as weak and increasingly authoritarian, according to the document, which examined activity between Oct. 7 and 21.“Such events offer opportunities to undermine national governments, fuel fear and division, and shape public perceptions ahead of elections,” the EU assessment said.However, the report found no evidence that Russia or other foreign actors had instigated or escalated the protests, describing their activity as the “opportunistic exploitation of unrest.” Other Topics of Interest EU to Use Emergency Aid Mechanism for Ukraine Zelensky says an EU emergency aid mechanism will speed funding for Ukraine as Russian attacks disrupt electricity, water, and heating before winter. Rioting broke out in cities across France last month as demonstrations over rising living costs and declining public services escalated into some of the country’s worst violence in decades.MAGA-linked and Israeli accounts reached millionsThe French Foreign Ministry’s assessment found that posts about the unrest from MAGA-linked and Israeli accounts attracted significantly more attention on X than those from pro-Russian networks.The 10 most-viewed posts by pro-Russian accounts received 2.8 million views between Oct. 16 and 18, the report said.By comparison, the 10 most-viewed posts from MAGA-linked officials, media outlets, and influencers accumulated more than 49 million views over the same period.The equivalent posts from Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets, and influencers received more than 35 million views.The French assessment said these accounts promoted narratives linking the unrest to radical Islamism and migration.Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims made in either assessment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.French officials referred Reuters to remarks by President Emmanuel Macron, who said on Oct. 21 that there had been no visible foreign interference behind the protests, but that foreign actors had manipulated information about them.Operation Overload targets western support for UkraineThe EU assessment identified Operation Overload as a Russian-aligned information operation active since September 2023. It has targeted Western public figures, institutions, and media outlets to discredit them and undermine their support for Ukraine, while promoting narratives aligned with Moscow’s interests.The campaign has also sought to weaken European support for Ukraine by claiming that governments prioritize assistance to Kyiv over domestic problems, the report added.The UK-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue described Operation Overload in a report last year as a persistent, high-volume Russian influence campaign.It said the network impersonates trusted sources, creates fake news-style videos, uses artificial intelligence to clone experts’ voices, and forges newspaper headlines.Elina Treyger, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, told Reuters that such campaigns form part of a long-term “narrative competition” that can gradually shape perceptions of Western democracies. She said they also fuel anti-immigrant sentiment, potentially pushing European voters toward political extremes. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.