Russia Escalates Interference in French Politics to Weaken Ukraine Support

On 30 Decem­ber 2023, The Wash­ing­ton Post report­ed that Rus­sia is esca­lat­ing efforts to desta­bi­lize French sup­port for Ukraine. Krem­lin doc­u­ments indi­cate a strate­gic cam­paign led by Sergei Kiriyenko, focus­ing on spread­ing polit­i­cal dis­cord in France. Tac­tics involve using social media, influ­encers, and French polit­i­cal fig­ures to under­mine NATO and Ukraine sup­port. Key nar­ra­tives pro­mot­ed include the detri­men­tal impact of West­ern sanc­tions on the French econ­o­my and the risks asso­ci­at­ed with France’s mil­i­tary involve­ment in Ukraine. Krem­lin-linked Jean-Luc Schaffhauser, a sup­port­er of Marine Le Pen’s pres­i­den­tial cam­paign, is active­ly work­ing to advance pro-Moscow politi­cians in France. This covert cam­paign includes influ­enc­ing pub­lic opin­ion and lever­ag­ing far-right polit­i­cal net­works, exac­er­bat­ing social and polit­i­cal ten­sions with­in France. Despite these efforts, French Pres­i­dent Emmanuel Macron remains a stead­fast sup­port­er of Ukraine, with sig­nif­i­cant pub­lic backing.