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France Orders Russian Commentator Xenia Fedorova to Leave Country

French officials say her commentary acts as a conduit for Kremlin disinformation that threatens public order and national interests.

Overview

  • The interior ministry signed a ministerial deportation order on Wednesday, July 29, and Fedorova has been placed under house arrest, must report daily to police and is banned from working in France.
  • A Paris Prefecture document seen by reporters accuses Fedorova of relaying Russian-state disinformation designed to manipulate public opinion and destabilize public order.
  • Fedorova's lawyer said she will immediately appeal the order and she has publicly denounced the measure as censorship and political pressure.
  • Broadcasters and newspapers that employ her called the expulsion a serious infringement on freedom of expression while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez defended the decision as necessary to protect the nation's fundamental interests.
  • Practical and diplomatic hurdles could limit actual deportation because of strained France–Russia ties; the move follows RT France's 2023 shutdown, a contested 2024 ten‑year residence renewal, and a separate German entry ban noted by officials.