Xenia Fedorova, the former director of the Russian propaganda channel RT France (banned by the EU in 2022), has found a platform in the media empire of far-right magnate Vincent Bolloré. She regularly appears on CNews and Europe 1, writes a weekly column in JDNews, and hosts the religious program "Lumières orthodoxes" on CNews and CStar. French government officials, including Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and government spokesperson Maud Bregeon, have criticized her, with Barrot calling her a "proven propagandist" for the Kremlin and stating that providing her a platform is akin to "serving Vladimir Poutine's soup." Emmanuel Macron, in 2017, also labeled RT France, which Fedorova led, as a "state propaganda agency." An internal note from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly details how Fedorova's positions align with the Kremlin's official narrative on Ukraine, NATO, and Europe.
Fedorova's presence on Bolloré's channels has drawn official complaints to the French audiovisual regulator, Arcom, regarding "a lack of honesty and rigor in information." For instance, she was cited for falsely accusing Latvia of glorifying Nazism and for spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine, claiming Western nations decided to prolong the conflict. Bolloré's Canal+ group, however, defends her appearances as an issue of "freedom of expression," as stated by Maxime Saada, chairman of Canal+'s board.
Despite the accusations, Fedorova renewed her French residency permit for ten years in 2024. This decision has sparked questions from politicians like European Deputy Nathalie Loiseau and presidential candidate Raphaël Glucksmann, given her known pro-Kremlin stance since at least 2017, when Macron first criticized RT. The Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, clarified that the renewal was an administrative process, occurring "as of right," and that the administration could not refuse it without legal challenge. Fedorova also published a book titled "Bannie" (Banned) in 2025 through Fayard, a Bolloré-owned publisher, in which she accuses the French government of attempting to "muzzle" her.
