Gabriel Attal targeted by Russian disinformation, team says

French presidential candidate Gabriel Attal's team said Wednesday that he had been targeted by a Russian disinformation campaign, and France's Viginum watchdog said it had detected the operation a day earlier.

A member of Attal's staff said security authorities detected external interference originating from Russia and bodies linked to the Russian central government targeting the 37-year-old former centrist prime minister.

Viginum, the French government body responsible for combating online disinformation, said it attributed the campaign with a high degree of confidence to the pro-Russia Matryoshka network.

The fabricated content appeared on X in posts impersonating legitimate French media outlets. The posts falsely claimed that Attal had Parkinson's disease or supported a more favourable policy towards squatters.

A security source said the operation remained relatively low-profile, attracting only a few thousand views. A source close to Attal said the attack was likely motivated by his support for Ukraine after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

France is preparing for its 2027 presidential election. French authorities have reported other Russia-linked propaganda campaigns targeting potential or declared candidates in recent weeks.

A security services source said authorities last week detected a campaign targeting Raphael Glucksmann, a left-wing member of the European Parliament and vocal Kremlin critic expected to run for president. That effort was traced to Storm-1516, a propaganda network linked to Russian intelligence, the source said.

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