Resistance Republicaine, French pro-Russian news delivered from Moscow

France’s ‘Republican Resistance’ website is delivered from Moscow. The French news website resistancerepublicaine.com criticizes the French government, publishes cartoons of President Macron, promotes pro-Russian narratives, and supports right-wing radicals and the RN party. It simply helps spread Russian disinformation in France.

Using search tools and publicly available information, we discovered that resistancerepublicaine.com is registered and hosted in Moscow. Apparently, this is why a ‘.com’ domain was chosen rather than a ‘fr’ one, which is intended for French online resources. Given the highly controversial publications, France could have imposed sanctions on the .fr domain much easier. 

Furthermore, the “Russian trace” is evident in the fact that the website’s registrar also registered the Russian domain with the same name: resistancerepublicaine.ru. Perhaps it is intended for French-speaking Russians or French nationals in Russia? We could not find out, as this website does not contain any information and is password protected. 

The website resistancerepublicaine.com is already well known to the fact-checking community. It was among the first on the list of the top 40 websites spreading Russian narratives in France, according to Insight News’ study. It was also featured for the fake news about the ‘deaths of French Foreign Legion soldiers in the war in Ukraine’.

A brief content overview shows that the website resistancerepublicaine.com translates, quotes, and republishes the main Russian propaganda media.

Its goal is most probably to spread chaos, dispair, and protest moods in France, to undermine the French government, and to support right-wing radicals favorable to Moscow.

Recent publications suggest that this biased publication could potentially be used as a tool to sway public opinion in France and across the EU, particularly in the context of the recent European Parliament elections, with a particular focus on promoting far-right and Eurosceptic candidates.

How does a publication that states, “The Elysée bastard has taken a memorable beating” and “the RN will inherit France’s desperate situation” differ from Sputnik and RussiaToday? (https://resistancerepublicaine.com/2024/06/10/champagne-malgre-le-risque-de-tempete-pour-le-rn-qui-va-heriter-de-la-situation-desesperee-de-la-france/) Actually, it’s even worse.

In addition to adopting an unacceptable style, the author is also engaging in wishful thinking, or more accurately, spreading misinformation: despite his beliefs, the far-right RN party has not yet gained power or left any legacy in France. Despite garnering 31% in the European Parliament elections, it is implausible for Le Pen’s party to secure more than 50% in the French parliamentary elections. Furthermore, Le Pen’s party lacks potential “partners” in the parliament to accommodate another 20% of radicals.

The author praises the leader of Le Pen’s list in the European Parliament elections: “Bardella’s roadmap, as announced in his speech on Sunday evening, is superb.” The publication adds that this program will “save France.” However, it then deceptively incorporates elements of nuclear blackmail and Moscow’s threats: “If Putin doesn’t wipe France off the map, it’s a more than justified response to Ukrainian attacks with French weapons and soldiers.”

The article concludes with an element of conspiracy theory: “It is also obvious that Macron, like all the globalists in power in Europe, has received a roadmap from his masters, with one objective: to destroy, discredit… patriotic movements.”

Another article (https://resistancerepublicaine.com/2024/06/10/le-macron-coule-mais-espere-remonter-a-la-surface-parce-quil-aime-la-france/) brainwashes readers with a set of manipulations and fake news about “Nazi Zelensky.”.

“The boat ‘La Macronie’, which has soiled the shores of France for seven years, sank body and soul on June 9, swept away by a furious and formidable popular wave. Poor Manu, senile Biden didn’t bring you any luck. Neither did your embrace with the Nazi Zelensky from Kyiv or your arm-in-arm embrace with the corrupt von der Leyen from Brussels.”

In the article “Putin plays chess: he too can supply weapons to the enemies of Zelensky’s friends,”  (https://resistancerepublicaine.com/2024/06/07/poutine-joue-aux-echecs-lui-aussi-peut-fournir-des-armes-aux-ennemis-des-amis-de-zelinsky/) the publication not only praises the power of Putin’s army but also adds:

“It seems legitimate that Russia, in turn, should supply similar weapons to the enemies of Western countries who are arming Ukraine to attack Russia.” Therefore, this could be interpreted as a condoning of potential armed aggression against France. Whereas France is legitimately providing assistance to Ukraine to protect its territory from Russian military assaults. 

To conclude the brief analysis of content on resistancerepublicaine.com, here is an article by Jules Ferry praising Putin’s military. “Russian honor guards of the presidential regiment pass by during a ceremony on the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square in Moscow. How many hours a week does it take to clean up to achieve this level of perfection?”

This Moscow-hosted French-language outlet’s articles and posts demonstrate their support for the Kremlin and Le Pen’s party. This example shows again that the ban on RT, Sputnik, and Voice of Europe does not prevent pro-Kremlin media from spreading propaganda and disinformation in France.