The French body of counteracting foreign influence Viginum exposed an online case organized by Russia on misinformation against France.
This was announced at a weekly briefing by the official representative of the Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ann-Claire Lyandr.
According to the statement, Russian entities participated in the campaign, as well as state structures or structures related to Moscow.
According to Viginum, the campaign was based on the creation of fake sites that looked like the leading French media and official pages of state bodies, as well as false accounts in social networks.
Among the falsified websites are the Foreign Ministry website of Foreign Affairs, as well as the publications Le Parisien, Le Figaro, Le Monde and 20 Minutes.
As reported, the German media, including Der Spiegel, Bild, Die Welt and FAZ.
, and FAZ.
According to Viginum, Russian embassies and cultural centers took an active part in strengthening this campaign, in particular through their accounts on social networks. The representative of the Foreign Ministry of France called this “another illustration of the hybrid strategy that Russia realizes to undermine the conditions for peaceful democratic discussions and, thus, undermine our democratic institutions.”
The spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry of France added that Paris condemns these actions of Russia, which are “unworthy of a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”
Lyandr emphasized that “the French authorities work closely with their partners to defeat the hybrid war of Russia.”