Ksenia Fedorova, the former head of the French division of the Russian state-controlled propaganda channel RT (formerly Russia Today), will be expelled from France, according to a report by Libération published earlier today. The newspaper writes that representatives of the Paris police served Fedorova's lawyer Emmanuel Piwnica with a deportation order on July 29.
The document says Fedorova’s actions “undermine the fundamental interests of the state” and that her presence in France “poses a serious threat to public order.” The French authorities believe she is taking part in a disinformation campaign carried out by Moscow “aimed at manipulating public opinion” and “undermining the confidence of European citizens, and in particular French citizens, in their institutions.”
Libération noted that Fedorova has lived in France for the past 10 years.
In early February 2022, French authorities opened an investigation into RT France. In January 2023, the channel’s bank accounts were frozen, after which Fedorova said it would cease operations. She remained in France and took a job at CNews, a right-wing conservative television channel.
In 2019, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan claimed that RT France, along with Fedorova personally, had received threats.
