For the Shaffhauser, such ambitions are part of the decades to create an alliance between Russia and Europe, whose prospects, although distant, were destroyed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But now, when the counter -offensive of Kiev - and the event of funding for this - is weakening, and while governments in Europe are struggling with the increase in the cost of life, the fall of the rating of approval and the growth of the far -right populists, Shaffhauser and his Russian associates see new opportunities.
According to the Kremlin's documents and interviews with European security and far -right political figures, Russia increases its efforts to undermine the support of Kiev with France - a hidden frontal front in Western Europe, which is part of the war against Ukraine.
Maneuvering - and the Kremlin's connections with many far -right parties throughout Europe, in particular in France, are concerned about some European officials on the eve of elections to the European Parliament in June. Josep Borrel, the EU Supreme Representative, warned at the conference this month that these elections can be "as dangerous as American", caused by "fear" in response to increasing inequality and threat to security. "Europe is in danger," he said.
The Kremlin documents obtained by the European Security Service and reviewed by The Washington Post show that Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy chairman of the Presidential Administration Vladimir Putin, instructed Kremlin political technologists to promote political discord in France through social networks and French. Political figures, public opinion leaders and activists. In the documents that The Post was introduced, these figures were not named. The purpose of Moscow is to undermine Ukraine's support and to weaken NATO's determination, the documents testify. These efforts are similar to a similar interference in Germany, where the Kremlin tried to unite the extreme right and ultra -war in the anti -war alliance, reported The Post earlier.
Several weekly panel presentations for Kremlin officials in 2022 show that Moscow considered France vulnerable to political upheavals. Referring to polls, strategists noted that 30% of the French maintain a positive attitude towards Russia, this is the second place among Western European countries after Italy, while 40% are not inclined to believe in the report of Ukraine's own media in France.
Later, in 2023, the Kremlin team of Kiriyenko ordered strategists to promote messengers who would increase the number of those who do not want to "pay for the war of another country" in France, is evidenced by one of the documents. They were also told to strengthen "the fear of direct clash with Russia and the solution of the Third World War with the participation of Europe", as well as to increase the number of those who want "dialogue with Russia on the construction of pan -European security architecture." »The United States had to be described as using Ukraine as a tool for weakening Russia's position in Europe, according to documents.
Documents show that the troll farms created by Kremlin political technologists have created and published content on social networks and articles that criticized the support of the Government of the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. One of the notes, written by one of the strategists in June 2023, indicated a troll farm employee to create a "200-character comment by the Frenchman of the Middle Age", who considers Ukraine's support for Ukraine "stupid adventure" in Europe. The fictional Frenchman also had to say that Ukraine's support is turning on "inflation ... and a fall in living standards."
Answering the questions about the documents, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that they sound as "nothing more than the last fake or full nonsense", partly because Krienko focuses on domestic politics, and partly because "all analysts are clear" that "all Europe is suffering" from Russia.
The Kremlin's message has so far limited resonance in France, where President Emmanuel Macron was at the forefront of Europe's efforts to support Ukraine, and the majority of the population supported it. But, according to Thomas Gomar, director of the French Institute of International Relations, the visibility of pro -Russian accounts on social networks in France is growing, and the ratings of the far -right French parties are growing. The rhetoric of Russia's allies such as Shaffhauser, which maintains ties with the extreme right in the country, is increasingly combined with the idea that it is an American adventure and that France should assert itself as a great state and restore relations. with Russia.
For a part of the French establishment of France's vision, which, together with Moscow, heads the great Europe, is a "dream that will never disappear," - said Sylvy Kaufmann, editorial director Le Monde and author of the recently published book "Les Aveuglés", or "Sleeping". close relationship. "In this dream, we are a great state, and Russia is a great state, and we are two large nuclear states that treat each other on an equal footing," she said.
According to the research of Alto Intelligence, a leading cybersecurity company, at the end of June after riots were erupted in Paris due to the murder of a teenager of Moroccan and Algeria, a network of pro -Russian accounts on social networks has become very active. The tiny proportion of profiles - 1.2 percent - created 30.6 percent of all digital media comments on riots. Among the most fruitful accounts, 24.2 percent was inserted in a comment by pro -Russian posts. Alto found that most accounts were related to far -right French politicians such as Eric Zemmur or Le Pen.
In November, French officials stated that the fingerprints of Moscow were found during an attempt to blow the tension between the Jewish and Muslim communities of France, both the largest in Europe, after Israel's invasion of gas. The Moldovan couple was arrested for drawing hundreds of David's hundred stars on Paris streets, and French officials said they believed that the couple acted as directed by the pro -Russian Moldovan businessman.
When the French State Digital Control Service found more than 1000 bots that increased the photos of these David stars, the French authorities called these efforts "a new operation of Russian digital intervention against France" and part of the "opportunistic and irresponsible strategy aimed at using international crisis" and euro.
The State Supervisory Organization Viginum has stated that it has a "high degree of confidence" that the bots have been connected to the Russian misinformation network known as Recent Relable News, which creates a content aimed at undermining Western governments on war in Ukraine. Viginum noted that one of the main activities of the bots was redirecting to RRN sites.
During the publication of the Report, Le Pen told reporters that the investigation did not find any evidence that would prove the Russian influence on the "national association", arguing that it had evaluated its political views, not "any form of intervention." . ”
The investigation raised the question of whether it received a national association, which was previously called the National Front, "financial support" from Russia in exchange to support its positions, including two loans organized by Shaffhauser to finance the party and Len Pen presidential campaign in 2017. The first loan of 9.4 million euros in 2014 came directly from the Russian bank, while the second, for 8 million euros in 2017, was more "mysterious" origin through Abu-Dhabi Bank, the investigation said.
Feeling a change in political wind after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Le Pen became quieter, speaking than closer ties with Moscow. Surbed by a loan from Russia in 2014, which was repaid ahead of time, said National Rally in September, it limited its comments to the most part of the negative impact of sanctions on the French economy.
Subbotin refused to comment.
The French parliamentary investigation noted the "dense structure of relations", which Shaffhauser - a member of the European Parliament from Le Pen Party from 2014 to 2019 - created during the years of relations between Russia and France.
One summer, shortly after the June riots, which stirred Macron administration, Shafthauser said that he even negotiated with several former high -ranking officers of French military intelligence on how to bring to power a network of former French generals in the event of crisis. and political collapse in France. "We have to offer the best government for France, the shadow government ... people who are true patriots," said Shaffhauser.
In his report, the parliamentary investigation warned the tendency of former French officials, "especially the retired officers", to repeat Moscow's positions and "to develop speeches in the Kremlin language."
For the Shaffhauser, a recent break in the US Congress on financing Ukraine means that "this is a good moment to find a solution" - to stop fire and rapprochement with Moscow. But as the tension in the West increases due to conflict with Israel and Gas, he warned, the Kremlin's confidence increases. It is easy to cause riots now, said Shaffhauser. Moscow has no "great work. They are prepared. "
