EU assessment says Russian network exploited France's riots online
An internal EU assessment says a covert Russian network called Operation Overload spread fake media videos to exploit riots in France. A separate French foreign ministry assessment says accounts linked to Israel and the US MAGA movement also pushed hostile narratives.
The EU assessment covers 7 October to 21 October. It says the network blamed the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portrayed the French government as having lost control. It also says Russia tried to depict French leaders as weak and increasingly authoritarian.
Some videos impersonated Western media outlets. The EU analysis says a few falsely claimed that migrants had raped protesters or that terrorist attacks were imminent. The EU found no evidence that Moscow or other actors had instigated or escalated the protests.
The 10 most-viewed posts on X from pro-Russian spheres drew 2.8 million views from 16 October to 18 October. Posts from MAGA-linked officials, media outlets and influencers drew more than 49 million views. Posts from Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets and influencers drew more than 35 million views.
The French assessment says the Israel-linked and MAGA-linked accounts tied the riots to radical Islamism and migration. President Emmanuel Macron said there was no visible foreign interference behind the protests, but there was foreign manipulation of information. Elina Treyger of the RAND Corporation said such campaigns feed an anti-immigrant backlash that pushes European voters toward political extremes.
Key facts
- Who
- Maria Zakharova (Russian foreign ministry spokesperson); Elina Treyger (senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation think tank); Emmanuel Macron (President of France); Benjamin Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister)
- When
- 9 November 2026
- Where
- France, Paris, Russia
- Status
- Reported