EU Sanctions Former RT France Chief Xenia Fedorova

The EU has added former RT France chief Xenia Fedorova to its sanctions list, accusing her of spreading Kremlin’s propaganda in French media as part of Russia’s broader hybrid campaign against Europe. The Council of the EU said in a statement released Thursday, Sept. 24 that Fedorova took part in foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), which could undermine democracy and stability in the bloc’s member states.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Under the sanctions, her assets in the EU will be frozen, and EU citizens and companies may not provide her with funds or other economic resources. As of Thursday, her listing brings the number of people targeted under the EU’s regime on Russia’s destabilizing activities to 81 individuals, along with 20 entities. From RT France to expulsion order As president and director of information at RT France – the French branch of Russian state-backed network RT – Fedorova helped spread the Russian state broadcaster’s editorial line, including pro-Moscow messaging about the war in Ukraine. Her role has drawn criticism from the French government for years, until RT France eventually shut down in 2023, about a year into Russia’s full-scale invasion. After RT was barred from broadcasting in the EU, she remained in France and became a regular commentator for media owned by a conservative French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, including CNews, Europe1 and Le JDNews. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Opens Second EU Negotiating Cluster as Reform Delivery Shapes Further Accession Progress, KSE Institute Says Ukraine has opened two of six EU negotiating clusters and seven of 33 chapters, while further accession progress increasingly depends on reform delivery, KSE Institute’s Q3 2026 tracker shows. Those views also covered Western support for Kyiv, NATO, and diplomatic relations between Russia and the EU. In 2024, her French residence permit was extended for 10 years. Shortly after, the EU set up the sanctions framework now used against her, targeting those behind Russian disinformation campaigns as the West increasingly prepares for Russia’s escalation of hybrid attacks. On July 29, France ordered Fedorova to leave the country and placed her under house arrest, requiring her to report to police daily. According to Le Monde, the expulsion order described her as “a conduit for disinformation campaigns orchestrated by the Russian authorities.” Her lawyer called the decision a serious violation of press freedom and said she would appeal, while her employers also criticized the move. Russia’s pressure on France The sanctions come as Russian disinformation networks target contenders in France’s April 2027 presidential election, according to an analysis by Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications. France has reportedly become the second-most targeted country for Russian information manipulation after Ukraine. On Tuesday, the EU agreed to extend sanctions on Russia for three years rather than the usual six to twelve months, under the compromise of removing two Russian oligarchs from the blacklist – Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman – both closely linked to Moscow’s war effort and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Latvia and Estonia responded by imposing national sanctions on both men, while the UK criticized the EU’s move and said it intends to keep their sanctions. On Thursday, Marine Le Pen, the far-right National Rally leader and front-runner to succeed Emmanuel Macron in France’s 2027 presidential election, said she would end financial aid to Ukraine and denied France is at war with Russia. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.