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.
This attack is merely a foretaste of what is to come.
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.
