France suspects Russian meddling before 2027 election

France suspects Russia-linked actors have tried to spread fake stories about French politicians running or likely to run in the 2027 presidential election, a security source and left-wing European lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann said.

The security source said French authorities last week detected a disinformation campaign targeting Glucksmann, a vocal Kremlin critic expected to run for president. The source said the effort was traced to Storm-1516, a propaganda network linked to Russian intelligence.

Glucksmann wrote on social media Monday night that Russian security services had begun operations to destabilise the 2027 campaign. He said a fabricated story claiming a plot to boost his candidacy appeared on a website imitating the online outlet Blast and used false documents, AI-reproduced voices and a fake video.

The same network also targeted presidential candidate Edouard Philippe, a centrist former prime minister, last month through social media posts spreading false information about his health, the security source said.

The source also said Storm-1516 is suspected of links to an effort detected in February to spread false claims connecting President Emmanuel Macron to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. France's far right is seeking a strong showing in next year's election, with Marine Le Pen pursuing the presidency for a fourth time despite a fraud conviction.