Xenia Fedorova assets frozen after France expulsion

France froze Russian TV commentator Xenia Fedorova's assets for six months after ordering her to leave the country, while she denounced the move as censorship and political pressure.

Fedorova, 45, a former journalist for Russia's state-run channel RT, wrote on X that France was using what she called political pressure to censor opinions that do not match the official narrative.

France this week ordered Fedorova to leave the country. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez accused her of relaying Russian propaganda in an attempt to attack what he called the fundamental interests of the nation.

The French finance ministry said a decree published Friday immediately froze her assets under a legal mechanism aimed at preventing the commission of new acts of interference. A person close to the case said Fedorova had been placed under house arrest since being notified of the order to leave France.

Fedorova said her lawyers would challenge the expulsion order and the asset freeze. Her lawyer Emmanuel Piwnica said she was the victim of a relentless campaign.

Fedorova is the former head of the French arm of RT, which was banned in France after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. She is now a commentator for outlets within conservative French billionaire Vincent Bollore's broadcasting group.

Her employers said this week they were astonished by the expulsion order and described it as a serious infringement of freedom of expression.