Xenia Fedorova relays Russian propaganda, minister says

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has defended France's order expelling Russian commentator Xenia Fedorova, saying it was not a restriction on freedom of expression and accusing her of relaying Russian propaganda.

Nunez told BFMTV on Thursday that the case involved “an attack on the fundamental interests of the nation”. He said Fedorova “simply and purely relays Russian propaganda”, while adding that people with similar views would continue to have a platform in France.

France's Interior Ministry said Wednesday that it had ordered Fedorova, 45, to leave the country after accusations that she spread Kremlin propaganda on French television and radio. A person close to the case told AFP that she has been placed under house arrest since being notified of the order and must report daily to a police station.

French newspaper Liberation cited the expulsion order as accusing Fedorova of acting as a conduit for disinformation campaigns organised by Russian authorities with the aim of destabilising public order in France.

Fedorova's lawyer, Emmanuel Piwnica, has said she will appeal. Her employers said Wednesday they were astonished by the order and called it “a particularly serious infringement of freedom of expression”.

Fedorova formerly headed RT France, which was banned in France after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. She later became a commentator for outlets linked to French billionaire Vincent Bollore, including CNews, Europe 1 and Le Journal du Dimanche.