France has decided to expel Ksenia Fedorova, the former head of the TV channel RT France, who currently works for several media outlets within the Vincent Bolloré group. According to Libération, her lawyer received an order signed by the Ministry of the Interior on Wednesday, July 29. The document states that Ksenia Fedorova‘s activities “harm the fundamental interests of the state”, and her presence in France poses “a particularly serious and current threat to public order”.
The administration accuses her of disseminating disinformation campaigns orchestrated by Russian authorities to manipulate public opinion and undermine trust among French and European citizens in their institutions.
From RT France to the Bolloré media group
Ksenia Fedorova has lived in France since 2017 and previously led RT France, the French-speaking version of the international channel funded by the Russian state. On March 2, 2022, shortly after the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union suspended the broadcasting of RT France and several other Russia Today channels. At that time, the Council of the European Union labeled RT as a media outlet under the direct or indirect control of Russian authorities, used for disinformation and destabilization efforts.
After the accounts of RT France were frozen and the French company was liquidated in 2023, Ksenia Fedorova continued her work in France. She appears on CNews and Europe 1, writes for JDNews, and hosts a program focused on the Orthodox world. In 2025, she published a book titled “Exiled” with the publisher Fayard, in which she describes how French authorities and media attempt to silence dissenting opinions. In August 2024, she received a residence permit valid for ten years. The issuance of this permit sparked political controversy in the spring of 2026 following several comments she made regarding the war in Ukraine.
A procedure publicly discussed since June
On May 29, 2026, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot referred to Ksenia Fedorova as an “outright propagandist”, accusing her of promoting Kremlin narratives in the French media. On June 2, Socialist MP Arthur Delaporte formally requested the government in the National Assembly to consider revoking her residence permit and initiating expulsion proceedings. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez noted that the residence permit had been renewed because the administrative conditions were deemed met. However, he emphasized that an expulsion decision could be made if a serious threat to public order was established, stressing the need to gather sufficient legal grounds for such action. The order published on July 29 by Libération indicates that the ministry now has sufficient legal grounds for this decision.
The issuance of the expulsion order does not necessarily mean an immediate departure from France. According to Libération, Ksenia Fedorova is currently under house arrest in her Paris apartment and must report to authorities daily. The newspaper also highlights the practical challenges of forcibly expelling her to Russia. Since 2022, consular cooperation between Paris and Moscow has significantly diminished, and direct air links between Russia and European Union member states have been suspended. Meanwhile, Ksenia Fedorova has the option to leave France voluntarily or be handed over to the Russian side. Additionally, she is prohibited from entering Germany.
Source: PolitiqueMatin
