Top-3 fakes spread by pro-Russian media in France last week

The findings in our study of pro-Russian media in France, as well as the readers’ positive feedback, impressed us so much that we decided to set up regular ratings of Russian and pro-Russian fakes and manipulations in French-language media.

The top three fakes of the last week in France are those intended to undermine mobilization in Ukraine, denigrate the Ukrainian President, and demonize the French President.

Fake #1. Ukraine’s mobilization: ‘To the Last Ukrainian’

A new Russian military propaganda video production emerged as the winner of the Russian fakes ranking. The brief movie portrays a new wave of mobilization in Ukraine. As one might expect, Russian propaganda has fabricated the story, and it looks absurd and unrealistic.

The film’s title, “To the Last Ukrainian,” references the well-known Kremlin narrative. In the video, a Ukrainian soldier forcibly recruits his elderly parents and his children into the armed forces. As if no men in draft age were left. Their appearance suggests that they were not fit for the service. In this way, Russian war propaganda attempts to undermine the new mobilization in Ukraine, which is, in fact, a consequence of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression.

This video is part of a larger Russian information operation, well orchestrated and targeting audiences in Ukraine to understand the ongoing mobilization and in Europe to undermine support for Kyiv.

Who spread this new Russian propaganda video in France? It was Reseau International, a news platform that succeeded RT France (Russia Today) following its ban by the French authorities.

Jusqu’au dernier Ukrainien. Vous n’avez même pas besoin de comprendre la langue. (Translation: To the last Ukrainian. You don’t even need to understand the language.) 

  • https://reseauinternational.net/jusquau-dernier-ukrainien/

The Russian propaganda video was disseminated on various social media networks, including the Russian platform VK, from where it was taken by Reseau International. The video was also published on YouTube.

This video is being copied across YouTube, and there is a short version of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1YlMtXPzpM. Having in mind their attack on Kharkiv, the Russians used the tag “Kharkov” on the video.

The Russian narrative of “War to the Last Ukrainian” is an old one. With its help, Moscow accuses the West of a proxy war against Russia, while it was the Putin regime that launched a full-scale war.

In September 2023, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, asked about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Kyiv and said it was clear that Washington planned to keep funding Ukraine’s war effort “until the last Ukrainian.”

It was also used by Maria Zakharova, director of the information and press department of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “The West still intends to fight to the last Ukrainian”, she said.

The narrative of “To the Last Ukrainian” was repeated word for word in the title of Régis Le Sommier’s book, a French pro-Russian reporter, director of the pro-Russian Omerta media, and former editor of RT France (Russia Today, French edition, now banned in France): “Jusqu’au dernier Ukraine: Récit d’un reporter de guerre”. He regularly travels to the frontlines and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and films the war from the Russian side.

Russia’s war, which has been lasting for over 28 months, has shown that Ukrainians have no choice but to fight. The truth is that Russia’s aim is to destroy Ukraine as a nation, and Ukrainians have to fight for their survival. Russian airstrikes on peaceful cities far behind the frontline kill civilians and destroy energy infrastructure, and in the occupied towns, Russian troops executed civilians. Ukrainian kids are being forcibly deported to Russia for a so-called ‘re-education’.

It is cynical for Russians to say that Ukraine fights the war to the last Ukrainian, since Russia is waging war, occupying territories, and killing Ukrainians. The surrender of Ukrainian territory will not stop Russian aggression but will raise Russia’s appetite for a pause followed by further military action.

Fake #2. ‘Zelensky is not legitimate’

Russian state propaganda media and pro-Russian news sites in France have pushed the narrative that ‘Ukrainian President Zelensky is not legitimate‘ after May 21, when the presidential election was supposed to take place. However, martial law prevents the vote from taking place due to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

The purpose of such assertions is to weaken the credibility of the Ukrainian government and redirect attention away from statements on Putin’s illegitimacy. In a resolution, the European Parliament condemned Russia’s March presidential election as undemocratic and unconstitutional.

In an attempt to legitimize its claims, Russian propaganda has brought in a pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch and politician, former media mogul Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally of Putin. The Russians call him a “Ukrainian opposition politician.”

After Russia’s full-scale war began, the Ukrainian authorities arrested Medvedchuk and charged him with high treason. In September 2022, Ukraine handed him over to Russia in a prisoner of war exchange, releasing from Russian captivity military commanders and soldiers who had been defending Mariupol. 

Medvedchuk has since lived in Russia and can be considered a collaborator rather than a Ukrainian opposition politician. The Czech Republic and the EU recently sanctioned Medvedchuk for running the pro-Russian media platform Voice of Europe, which European investigators claimed aimed to spread Russian influence and sway public opinion in Europe before the European Parliament elections.

The claim about Zelensky’s illegitimacy was initially spread by two Russian propaganda frontrunners, RT and Sputnik, banned in France. However, the ban on their fake stories is not really working in France, as this fake war has been reposted and quoted by several French news outlets: NewsNet, Qactus, Stratpol, Reseau International, Le Media en 442, Egalite et Reconciliation, and others. 

And the reward for the harshest fake and worst coverage of this story goes to Stratpol and Xavier Moreau, a French-born Russian propagandist who lives in Moscow. He added to it a new fake about a “narco-Kiev-army” claiming that Ukrainian soldiers are drug adict.

Zelensky n’a plus le droit de représenter l’Ukraine depuis ce 21 mai, estime un opposant ukrainien, Viktor Medvedtchouk. (Zelensky no longer has the right to represent Ukraine since May 21, according to Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchouk.)

  • https://fr.sputniknews.africa/20240521/zelensky-na-plus-le-droit-de-representer-lukraine-depuis-ce-21-mai-estime-un-opposant-ukrainien-1066660683.html

Avec l’expiration de son mandat, le droit de Zelensky de parler au nom de l’Ukraine a pris fin. (With the expiry of his mandate, Zelensky’s right to speak on behalf of Ukraine came to an end.)

  • https://fr.sputniknews.africa/20240526/avec-lexpiration-de-son-mandat-le-droit-de-zelensky-de-parler-au-nom-de-lukraine-a-pris-fin-1066746736.html

La légitimité de Zelensky est terminée, selon Poutine. (Zelensky’s legitimacy is over, according to Putin.)

  • https://fr.sputniknews.africa/20240524/la-legitimite-de-zelensky-est-terminee-selon-poutine-1066723170.html

Négociation avec l’Ukraine : «La légitimité du président en exercice a expiré», estime Poutine. Si les discussions de paix reprennent avec l’Ukraine, «il faudra être totalement sûrs que nous avons affaire à des autorités légitimes», a déclaré le chef d’État russe. (Negotiations with Ukraine: “The legitimacy of the incumbent president has expired”, says Putin. If peace talks resume with Ukraine, “we must be totally sure that we are dealing with legitimate authorities”, declared the Russian head of state.)

  • https://francais.rt.com/russie/111288-legitimite-president-exercice-ukraine-expiree-estime-poutine
  • http://newsnet.fr/249244
  • https://qactus.fr/2024/05/25/ukraine-zelensky-est-officiellement-en-fin-mandat-depuis-hier-et-il-ny-a-aucune-election-en-ukraine/

Zelenski illégitime, narco-Kiev-army, drone vs humanitaires. Xavier Moreau revient sur la situation en Ukraine, où le président Zelenski est de plus en plus contesté, tandis que l’armée ukrainienne est minée par la consommation de drogue et que les convois humanitaires sont menacés par les drones. (Illegitimate Zelenski, narco-Kiev-army, drone vs. humanitarian. Xavier Moreau reviews the situation in Ukraine, where President Zelenski is increasingly challenged, while the Ukrainian army is undermined by drug use and humanitarian convoys are threatened by drones.)

  • http://newsnet.fr/249201
  • https://odysee.com/@STRATPOL:d/187:9a
  • https://stratpol.com/
  • https://reseauinternational.net/zelenski-illegitime-narco-kiev-army-drone-vs-humanitaires/
  • https://lemediaen442.fr/bulletin-stratpol-n187-zelenski-illegitime-narco-kiev-army-drone-vs-humanitaires/
  • https://egaliteetreconciliation.fr/Xavier-Moreau-Zelensky-illegitime-Narco-Kiev-army-Drone-vs-humanitaires-75752.html

Le mandat de Zelensky a pris officiellement fin le 20 mai 2024. (Zelensky’s mandate officially ended on May 20, 2024.)

  • https://presse.fiatlux.tk/2024/05/22/egaliteetreconciliation/le-mandat-de-zelensky-a-pris-officiellement-fin-le-20-mai-2024/
  • https://egaliteetreconciliation.fr/Le-mandat-de-Zelensky-a-pris-officiellement-fin-le-20-mai-2024-75741.html

This pro-Russian narrative is the most widespread. However, at the same time, it has failed, as Europe’s leading media have covered the topic of Zelensky’s presidency in a professional and objective manner. 

Fake #3. French President demonization: ‘Macron steals people’s savings’

Three weeks before the European Parliament elections, pro-Russian propaganda websites attacked the government, particularly French President Emmanuel Macron. In its pseudo-analysis, the Géopolitique Profonde platform accused Macron of seizing French citizens’ savings. This information is incorrect, so there is nothing to comment on.

Other French-language pro-Russian websites, including lesmoutonsenrages, planetes360, strategika, crashdebug, and nouveau-monde.ca, republished this false information. Florian Philippot, a far-right pro-Russian politician and former campaign lead for Marine Le Pen, was a key proponent of this fake. The coordinated and synchronized nature of the fake news and manipulation network is evident.

Macron va voler toute votre épargne pour payer la dette (Macron will steal all your savings to pay off the debt) (Ludovic Malot, Géopolitique Profonde).

  • https://lesmoutonsenrages.fr/2024/05/25/macron-va-voler-toute-votre-epargne-pour-payer-la-dette-ludovic-malot-geopolitique-profonde/
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_Asyi4xGKQ
  • https://planetes360.fr/macron-va-voler-toute-votre-epargne-pour-payer-la-dette-ludovic-malot-geopolitique-profonde/
  • https://strategika.fr/2024/05/26/nous-sommes-peut-etre-plus-proches-du-vous-ne-possederez-rien-que-nous-ne-le-pensons/
  • https://www.crashdebug.fr/nous-sommes-peut-etre-plus-proches-du-vous-ne-possederez-rien-que-nous-ne-le-pensons-activistpost-com
  • https://nouveau-monde.ca/lue-ira-t-elle-jusqua-voler-lepargne-des-europeens/
  • https://twitter.com/f_philippot/status/1794674488652542351

Toutes les révélations sur la mafia qui contrôle la France. Découvrez les rouages cachés du crime organisé et son influence corrosive sur les sphères politiques en France. (All the revelations about the mafia that controls France. Discover the hidden workings of organized crime and its corrosive influence on France’s political spheres.)

  • https://planetes360.fr/toutes-les-revelations-sur-la-mafia-qui-controle-la-france-gerald-pendelon-geopolitique-profonde/

Rébellion à l’Élysée : Brigitte Macron Ne Supporte Plus l’Incompétence d’Emmanuel ! Elle souhaite prendre les reins. (Rebellion at the Élysée: Brigitte Macron Can’t Stand Emmanuel’s Incompetence! She wants to take over.)

  • https://planetes360.fr/rebellion-a-lelysee-brigitte-macron-ne-supporte-plus-lincompetence-demmanuel-elle-souhaite-prendre/

État mental réel de Macron : des pays balancent tout. (Macron’s real mental state: countries tell everything.)

  • https://planetes360.fr/etat-mental-reel-de-macron-des-pays-balancent-tout-direct/

Comment la Macronie détruit le sport français avec l’homosexualisme. (How the Macronie is destroying French sport with homosexualism.)

  • https://egaliteetreconciliation.fr/Comment-la-Macronie-detruit-le-sport-francais-avec-l-homosexualisme-75724.html

It’s obvious that these publications are attempting to denigrate President Macron and discredit the French government and political parties in power ahead of the elections. Such publications may also incite protest moods and chaos in society.

The samples and quotes from biased news sites, including a mix of manipulation, propaganda, and fake news, demonstrate that hybrid anti-European and pro-Kremlin influence in the EU is not limited to Russian official state media platforms (propaganda outlets). 

As a result, the fresh sanctions imposed on Russian and pro-Russian media outlets such as Ria Novosti, Izvestiya, and Voice of Europe won’t eliminate false information and propaganda from the web.

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