Raphaël Glucksmann, a center-left MEP and likely candidate for the next French presidential election, claimed he was targeted by a disinformation campaign launched by a group affiliated with Russia's intelligence agency.
The French Secretariat-General for National Defence and Security informed Glucksmann of a Russian operation directly controlled by the Russian GRU.
A security service source told AFP on Tuesday that French authorities discovered a disinformation campaign targeting Glucksmann, a left-wing MEP and critic of the Kremlin.
Traces of the campaign linked to Glucksmann led to a propaganda network called Storm-1516, which is associated with Russian intelligence.
The alleged effort against Glucksmann involved an article on a website mimicking the well-known left-wing news outlet Blast.
Glucksmann stated that the disinformation against him included forged documents, AI-reproduced voices, and a completely fake video.
A social media clip claimed that Glucksmann's partner, Léa Salamé, a host of French public television's prime-time news program, had tried bribing other journalists to speak favorably about his candidacy.
Glucksmann, who participated in the 2013 Maidan uprising in Kyiv and has spoken out against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, addressed the situation on social media.
Russian agencies have begun operations to destabilize the 2027 presidential election.
— Raphaël Glucksmann
This attack is merely a foretaste of what is to come.
— Raphaël Glucksmann
Other political figures targeted
Former French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was reportedly targeted by a Russian disinformation campaign last week. The Storm-1516 network allegedly targeted Philippe, a former centrist Prime Minister, by spreading misinformation about his health on social media.
Earlier this year, several local candidates from the left-wing France Unbowed movement were allegedly targeted by an Israeli firm.
A network is suspected of a February attempt to spread false claims linking French President Emmanuel Macron to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that safeguarding the 2027 presidential election from foreign interference would be a top priority.
The Russian Embassy in Paris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Updates
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated journalist Edwy Plenel's identity and voice, while a fake website, 'blastinfo.fr', was used to mimic legitimate media outlets. Technical analyses indicate a 98% probability that the video's audio was AI-generated and that the images were created using OpenAI tools. Although the video reached approximately one million international views, its domestic reach within the French public remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, with technical analysis indicating a 98% chance that the audio was AI-generated and the images were created using OpenAI tools. The fraudulent content, which claimed Léa Salamé offered 50,000 euros to various newsrooms for positive coverage, was hosted on a typosquatting website 'blastinfo.fr' that copied 181 legitimate pages to appear authentic. While the video reached approximately one million international views via pro-Trump, Kremlin, and AES-supporting accounts, its impact within France remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, featuring synthesized audio with a 98% probability of being AI-generated. Investigations revealed the use of a typosquatting website, 'blastinfo.fr', which mimicked legitimate media outlets to host the false content. Additionally, Raphaël Glucksmann accused Vladimir Putin of attempting to 'tip France' and trigger the 'implosion of the European bloc' through these tactics.
The disinformation campaign utilized deepfake technology to impersonate journalist Edwy Plenel and featured a robotic voice claiming Léa Salamé offered 50,000 euros to various newsrooms for positive coverage. Digital analysis indicates the video's audio had a 98% chance of being AI-generated and its imagery was created using OpenAI tools. While the content reached approximately one million views internationally, its impact within the French public remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The campaign featured a deepfake video misappropriating the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, with audio analysis indicating a 98% probability of being AI-generated. The disinformation, which utilized a typosquatting website to mimic a legitimate media outlet, primarily targeted Raphaël Glucksmann and Léa Salamé through false claims of bribery. While the video reached approximately one million international views, its reach within the French public remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign featured a deepfake video misappropriating the voice of journalist Edwy Plenel and used a fraudulent website, 'blastinfo.fr', which mimicked the legitimate 'blast-info.fr' domain through typosquatting. Technical analyses indicate the video's audio had a 98% chance of being AI-generated, while the images were created using OpenAI tools. While the content reached approximately one million views internationally, its impact within the French public remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, featuring an AI-generated audio with a 98% probability of manipulation. Investigations revealed the use of a typosquatting website, 'blastinfo.fr', which mimicked a legitimate media outlet by copying 181 of its pages. While the video reached approximately one million international views, its impact within France remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, featuring a robotic voice making false claims about Léa Salamé offering 50,000 euros to several newsrooms. Investigations revealed the use of a typosquatting website, 'blastinfo.fr', which was activated on July 24 and copied 181 pages from the legitimate media outlet. Technical analysis indicated the audio had a 98% chance of being AI-generated and the images were created using OpenAI tools.
The disinformation campaign involved a deepfake video misappropriating the identities and voices of journalist Edwy Plenel and Léa Salamé, featuring a robotic voice claiming Salamé offered 50,000 euros to various newsrooms for positive coverage. Technical analyses indicated a 98% chance of AI-generated audio and used OpenAI tools for imagery, all hosted on a typosquatting website, 'blastinfo.fr', which was activated on July 24. While the video reached approximately one million views globally via pro-Trump, Kremlin, and AES-linked accounts, its reach within the French public remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, while a fake website using the typosquatted domain 'blastinfo.fr' was activated on July 24. Technical analyses indicated a 98% probability of AI-generated audio and identified the use of OpenAI tools for the video's imagery. The campaign reached approximately one million views internationally, though its impact within the French public was limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated journalist Edwy Plenel's identity and voice, alongside a fake website, 'blastinfo.fr', which used typosquatting to mimic the legitimate 'blast-info.fr' domain. Technical analyses indicated a 98% probability of AI-generated audio and identified the video's imagery as being created using OpenAI tools. While the content reached approximately one million international views, its reach within the French public was limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, while a fraudulent website, 'blastinfo.fr', was activated on July 24 using typosquatting to mimic the legitimate 'blast-info.fr' domain. Investigations revealed that the fake video's audio had a 98% chance of being AI-generated and the imagery was created using OpenAI tools. Furthermore, the operation was linked to the Russian-operated Storm-1516 network, which has been identified by Viginum as a source of foreign digital interference.
The disinformation campaign involved a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel and used an AI-generated robotic voice to make false claims about Léa Salamé. Investigations revealed the campaign utilized a typosquatting website, 'blastinfo.fr', which was activated on July 24 and had copied 181 pages from a legitimate media outlet. The Russian-linked Storm-1516 network, operated by the GRU, has been identified as the source behind these sophisticated manipulations.
Investigations revealed that the campaign utilized a deepfake video misappropriating the identity of journalist Edwy Plenel and used a typosquatting domain, 'blastinfo.fr', to mimic the legitimate 'blast-info.fr' site. The disinformation was traced to the Russian-operated Storm-1516 network, which also targeted Édouard Philippe and was linked to interference in the US, German, and Moldovan elections. While the video reached approximately one million international views, its reach within the French public remained limited to fewer than 30,000 views.
The disinformation campaign utilized a deepfake video that misappropriated the identity and voice of journalist Edwy Plenel, while technical analysis indicated a 98% probability of AI-generated audio and images created via OpenAI tools. The operation involved a typosquatting website, 'blastinfo.fr', which was activated on July 24 and replicated 181 pages of a legitimate media outlet. Investigations by Viginum linked the interference to two Russian ecosystems, Storm-1516 and Matriochka, the latter of which also targeted Gabriel Attal with false claims regarding his health and personal life.
The disinformation campaign against Raphaël Glucksmann, identified as a Storm-1516 operation linked to Russian GRU, now includes verified use of a deepfake featuring journalist Edwy Plenel’s voice and image, with AI-generated audio confirmed at 98% probability by InVid’s Hiya detector and imagery traced to OpenAI tools via SynthID; the fake video, hosted on the typosquatted domain blastinfo.fr (activated July 24), falsely claimed Léa Salamé paid media outlets for favorable coverage, and was amplified by pro-Trump, Kremlin, and AES-linked accounts across 14 regions, though its French reach remained under 30,000 views — while French authorities confirmed Storm-1516 also targeted Édouard Philip
Newly verified details reveal the disinformation campaign used a deepfake of journalist Edwy Plenel’s voice and image in a fake video falsely claiming Léa Salamé paid media outlets to promote Glucksmann, with AI-generated audio confirmed at 98% likelihood by InVid’s Hiya detector and OpenAI tools identified via SynthID; the operation, attributed to Russia’s Storm-1516 network, also targeted Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, while Viginum confirmed two Russian ecosystems—Storm-1516 and Matriochka—were active, the latter using forged media logos to spread false claims about Attal’s health and beliefs.
The disinformation campaign against Raphaël Glucksmann, identified as a Storm-1516 operation linked to Russian GRU, now includes verified use of a deepfake impersonating journalist Edwy Plenel and AI-generated audio falsely claiming Léa Salamé offered bribes to media outlets, with the fake website blastinfo.fr—activated July 24—copying 181 pages of the real Blast site; the video, detected as 98% AI-generated by Hiya and traced to OpenAI tools via SynthID, was amplified by pro-Trump, Kremlin, and AES accounts across 14 regions, reaching under 30,000 views in France despite one million international views, while French authorities confirmed Storm-1516 also targeted Édouard Philippe and Gabriel
The disinformation campaign against Raphaël Glucksmann, identified as a Storm-1516 operation linked to Russian GRU, used a deepfake video falsely impersonating journalist Edwy Plenel and fabricating a claim that Léa Salamé offered 50,000 euros to media outlets for favorable coverage; the video, detected as 98% AI-generated and created with OpenAI tools, was distributed via a typosquatted domain (blastinfo.fr) activated on July 24 and amplified by pro-Trump, Kremlin, and AES-linked accounts, reaching over one million views internationally but fewer than 30,000 in France, while French authorities confirmed Storm-1516 also targeted Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, and identified a second, co
Newly verified details reveal the disinformation campaign against Raphaël Glucksmann used a deepfake video faking journalist Edwy Plenel’s voice and image, with AI-generated audio (98% probability per Hiya detector) and OpenAI-sourced visuals, distributed via the typosquatted domain blastinfo.fr — activated July 24 — and amplified by pro-Trump, Kremlin-linked, and Alliance of Sahel States accounts across 14 regions; French intelligence attributes this to the Storm-1516 network, linked to Russia’s GRU, which has also targeted Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, while the government prepares a new anti-interference law to enable 48-hour judicial takedowns and criminalize foreign-backed vote-de
Newly verified details reveal the disinformation campaign against Raphaël Glucksmann used a deepfake video faking journalist Edwy Plenel’s voice and image, with AI-generated audio (98% probability per Hiya detector) and OpenAI-sourced visuals, distributed via the typosquatted domain blastinfo.fr—activated July 24—and amplified by pro-Trump, Kremlin-linked, and AES-affiliated accounts across 14 regions; French intelligence attributes the operation to Russia’s Storm-1516 network, which also targeted Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, while Viginum confirms two distinct Russian ecosystems—Storm-1516 and Matriochka—operating in France, with the latter using forged media logos to spread false声称,
French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, entrusting the cybercrime brigade with probing the deepfake video and fake website blastinfo.fr, while new evidence confirms the Storm-1516 network — linked to Russia’s GRU — also targeted Gabriel Attal with health-based disinformation mimicking French media logos, and Viginum now identifies two distinct Russian ecosystems, Storm-1516 and Matriochka, as actively operating against multiple French candidates ahead of the 2027 election.
French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, entrusting the cybercrime brigade with probing the deepfake video and fake website blastinfo.fr, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Sébastien Lecornu called for urgent collective defense against such campaigns — a move mirrored by Glucksmann’s warning that all pro-European candidates will be targeted, and as Viginum confirmed Storm-1516’s role in prior attacks on Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal.
French authorities have opened a criminal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, entrusting the cybercrime brigade with probing the disinformation campaign, which included a deepfake video faking journalist Edwy Plenel’s voice and a typosquatted website, blastinfo.fr, activated on July 24; the investigation follows Glucksmann’s accusation that Russian services aim to destabilize all pro-European candidates, while the French government prepares new anti-interference legislation with harsher penalties and a judicial fast-track mechanism to remove false content within 48 hours.
French authorities have opened a criminal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor's office entrusting the cybercrime brigade to examine the deepfake video and fake website blastinfo.fr, which falsely implicated journalist Léa Salamé and Edwy Plenel, while Viginum confirmed the operation was conducted by the GRU-linked Storm-1516 network — a group also responsible for similar disinformation against Gabriel Attal using the Matriochka ecosystem.
French authorities have opened a criminal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the cybercrime brigade to examine the use of AI-generated deepfakes and a typosquatted website (blastinfo.fr) to falsely implicate journalist Léa Salamé and Edwy Plenel — an operation attributed by Viginum to the GRU-linked Storm-1516 network, which has also targeted Gabriel Attal with similar disinformation tactics mimicking French media logos.
French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the cybercrime brigade to examine the deepfake video and fake website blastinfo.fr, which falsely implicated journalist Léa Salamé and Edwy Plenel — an operation attributed to the GRU-linked Storm-1516 network and now under scrutiny for potential crimes involving AI-generated misinformation aimed at serving foreign interests.
French authorities have opened a criminal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the cybercrime brigade to examine the deepfake video and fake website blastinfo.fr, which falsely implicated journalist Léa Salamé and Edwy Plenel; the probe focuses on offenses involving manipulated media created to serve foreign interests, following confirmation by Viginum that the operation stems from the GRU-linked Storm-1516 network, while Gabriel Attal was also targeted by a separate Matriochka disinformation campaign using forged media branding.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a criminal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the cybercrime brigade to examine the deepfake video and fake website blastinfo.fr, which falsely implicated journalist Léa Salamé and Edwy Plenel; the probe specifically considers offenses related to AI-generated content created to serve foreign interests, while Gabriel Attal has also been confirmed as a target of a separate Matriochka disinformation campaign involving falsified health claims and spoofed media branding.
French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor's office entrusting the cybercrime brigade to examine the deepfake video and fake website blastinfo.fr, which falsely implicated journalist Léa Salamé and Edwy Plenel, and which prosecutors say was created to serve the interests of a foreign power; the investigation follows confirmation by Viginum that the operation was conducted by the Storm-1516 network, linked to Russia’s GRU, and coincides with new allegations that Gabriel Attal was similarly targeted by the Matriochka disinformation ecosystem using falsified media branding.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor's office entrusting the case to the cybercrime brigade and specifying the probe covers the creation of manipulated images intended to serve foreign interests; simultaneously, fellow presidential candidate Gabriel Attal filed a complaint for external digital interference after being targeted by a separate Russian disinformation campaign involving falsified health claims and media-branded forgeries, while Viginum confirmed both operations stem from the Storm-1516 and Matriochka networks.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the case to the cybercrime brigade and specifying the probe covers fabrication of falsified images intended to serve foreign interests; additionally, fellow presidential candidate Gabriel Attal has filed a complaint for external digital interference, after being targeted by a separate but similar disinformation campaign involving falsified health claims and media-branded fabrications attributed to the Matriochka network.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the case to the cybercrime brigade and specifying the probe covers the creation of manipulated images intended to serve foreign interests; simultaneously, Gabriel Attal filed a complaint for external digital interference after being targeted by a separate Russian disinformation campaign involving falsified health claims and forged media branding, while Viginum confirmed both operations stem from the Storm-1516 and Matriochka networks.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the case to its cybercrime brigade over a deepfake video implicating Glucksmann’s partner Léa Salamé and journalist Edwy Plenel — an operation attributed to the Storm-1516 network and involving a fake website, blastinfo.fr, mimicking the legitimate Blast media outlet; concurrently, presidential candidate Gabriel Attal also filed a complaint for foreign digital interference, with Viginum confirming Russian-linked disinformation campaigns against both him and Édouard Philippe, while the government now
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the case to the cybercrime brigade and specifying the probe covers the creation of manipulated images intended to serve foreign interests; concurrently, Gabriel Attal filed a separate complaint for foreign digital interference, after being targeted by a disinformation campaign involving falsified health claims and media-branded deepfakes, while Viginum confirmed both operations were linked to the Storm-1516 and Matriochka Russian networks.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the case to its cybercrime brigade over a deepfake video falsely implicating Glucksmann’s partner Léa Salamé and journalist Edwy Plenel — an operation attributed to the Storm-1516 network and involving a typosquatted website, blastinfo.fr, mimicking the media outlet Blast; concurrently, presidential candidate Gabriel Attal filed a separate complaint for foreign digital interference, after being targeted by a disinformation campaign using forged media branding to falsely claim health scandals, with V
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the case to the cybercrime brigade to examine potential offenses involving manipulated images created to serve foreign interests; simultaneously, Gabriel Attal filed a separate complaint for foreign digital interference, and the government unveiled a new decree establishing an independent commission of three high magistrates to alert candidates and the public about disinformation campaigns.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor's office entrusting the case to the cybercrime brigade to examine potential offenses involving manipulated images created to serve foreign interests — a move that also follows a separate complaint filed by presidential candidate Gabriel Attal over identical disinformation tactics, including deepfakes and forged media branding attributed to the Storm-1516 and Matriochka networks.
Following the initial report, French authorities have opened a formal investigation into suspected Russian interference targeting Raphaël Glucksmann, with the Paris prosecutor’s office entrusting the case to its cybercrime brigade to examine potential offenses involving manipulated images created to serve foreign interests — a move that also follows a separate complaint filed by Gabriel Attal over a parallel disinformation campaign attributed to the same Russian networks, Storm-1516 and Matriochka.
