A covert Russian network spread fake news and videos during the mass unrest in France, in an attempt to fuel public discontent, discredit the French authorities and undermine support for Ukraine. According to an internal European Union investigation seen by Reuters, Moscow used fabricated material from Western media, blamed migrants for the violence and created the impression that the government had lost control of the country. At the same time, French analysts identified disinformation activity by accounts linked to the American MAGA movement and Israel, whose posts received tens of millions of views.
- The Russian network Operation Overload exploited the protests in France to spread disinformation.
- Fake videos imitated Western media and spread fabricated reports about migrants.
- The campaign also aimed to undermine European support for Ukraine.
- Accounts linked to MAGA and Israel have received tens of millions of views.
A Russian network was spreading fake news about the riots
According to an internal EU analysis, the Russian information network Operation Overload gained momentum during the October protests in France, which began due to the rising cost of living and the deterioration of public services and escalated into large-scale unrest.
Between 7 and 21 October, the network circulated videos styled to resemble reports from well-known Western television channels and news agencies. Some of the posts contained fabricated reports of migrants raping protesters or imminent terrorist attacks.
The authors of the European document believe that the campaign was intended to portray the French authorities as weak and incapable of bringing the situation under control. Some reports depicted the country’s leadership as becoming increasingly authoritarian.
At the same time, the investigation found no evidence that Russia or other foreign powers had organised protests or directly contributed to their escalation. This specifically refers to the exploitation of an existing domestic crisis for the purposes of information influence.
Posts from MAGA and Israeli accounts have racked up tens of millions of views
A separate analysis by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has shown that it was not only pro-Russian networks that were spreading negative reports about the unrest.
Between 16 and 18 October, the ten most popular posts by pro-Russian accounts on social media X received 2.8 million views. Meanwhile, a similar selection of ten posts by representatives, media outlets and supporters of the American MAGA movement garnered over 49 million views.
The ten most popular posts by Israeli officials, government accounts, media organisations and influencers garnered over 35 million views.
French analysts have established that these accounts linked the unrest to migration and radical Islamism. However, the data presented does not prove the existence of a joint, coordinated operation between different groups.
The Kremlin has attempted to undermine support for Ukraine
The European document states that Operation Overload has been active since at least September 2023. Its activities are directed against Western politicians, government institutions and the media, in particular by undermining confidence in their support for Ukraine.
One of the messages being circulated was the claim that European governments are allegedly paying more attention to helping Ukraine than to the domestic social problems of their own citizens.
The British think tank, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, had previously established that this network uses fake newspaper headlines, doctored images and videos featuring the voices of experts cloned using artificial intelligence.
President of France Emmanuel Macron As early as 21 October, he stated that the authorities had found no evidence of overt external interference in the organisation of the protests, but had documented foreign manipulation of information surrounding them.
