The European Union Has Begun Investigating Whether Russia Was Involved In The Riots In France
1- 21.10.2026, 12:58
Pro-Russian accounts spread false reports about the protests.
European authorities are investigating possible Russian interference in the unrest in France and other EU countries, according to the Financial Times. According to the newspaper’s sources in intelligence agencies, pro-Russian accounts were spreading videos of violence and false reports about the protests. “It is possible that Russian disinformation campaigns are indeed underway, but platforms should not amplify their spread through algorithms,” said an EU spokesperson. According to the EU’s diplomatic service, among European countries, only Ukraine is targeted more frequently than France by foreign disinformation operations.
French authorities have instructed intelligence agencies to determine whether Russian agents may have been inciting violence in the streets. The investigation is in its early stages. A high-ranking FT source in European intelligence reported that Russian information campaigns were primarily a reaction to events already unfolding and were limited to the internet. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crozetto called the riots a manifestation of hybrid warfare being waged against European countries via TikTok, YouTube, and social media. He believes that the West is unaware of what is happening and is failing to take countermeasures.
According to an FT source in European intelligence, authorities intend first and foremost to investigate the activities of the far-left groups behind the riots. The newspaper’s source views the riots as a consequence of internal political radicalization, rather than external interference. Another representative of European intelligence urged against exaggerating the role of Russia and foreign states. “People are taking to the streets because they have legitimate grievances against the authorities. Foreign states are trying to stoke protest sentiment. But their role should not be exaggerated. It would be too easy to say that the Russians are to blame for everything,” he told the FT.
David Colón , a researcher at the Paris-based Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po) , told the FT that pro-Kremlin bloggers were spreading false reports about the unrest. He mentioned the Russian influence networks “Matryoshka” and Storm-1516. Colón believes that these accounts were not behind the organization of the protests.
The FT identified several accounts that passed off videos from other countries as footage of unrest in France. One of them posted a video showing protesters throwing fireworks. In reality, it was filmed in Tbilisi during the 2024 protests. The video garnered nearly 6 million views. According to the newspaper’s sources, such content was disseminated by pro-Russian and far-right accounts. They had already been identified in disinformation campaigns.
Russian agents have previously been suspected of carrying out provocations on French soil. In 2023, Stars of David painted in blue appeared on buildings in Paris. Viginum, the French agency combating foreign digital interference, stated that the aim of the action was to stir up discord within French society.
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