Ex-French Prime Minister Attal accuses Russia of interfering to support Le Pen

Former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Thursday accused Russia of interfering in France’s 2027 presidential campaign and seeking to support politician Marine Le Pen.

Attal, the presidential candidate of the centrist Renaissance party, said he had recently been targeted by a Russian disinformation campaign involving fabricated news reports falsely claiming he showed signs of Parkinson's disease and supported policies favoring squatters occupying empty properties.

“I expect the Kremlin regime to continue its interference operations against candidates like me, but also to support Marine Le Pen,” Attal told broadcaster BFMTV.

According to Attal, fabricated content circulated on the US social media platform X using the logos and branding of several French news organizations, including BFMTV, RFI, Le Parisien, Ouest-France, Liberation, France 24 and AFP.

“We have been victims of interference from Russia with fake press articles that use media logos, BFMTV in particular has been a victim,” Attal said, referring to the French broadcaster.

He said the alleged campaign was an attempt to “steal the democratic choice of the French people.”

Similar disinformation efforts reportedly targeted former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and European lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann, both considered potential presidential contenders.

BFMTV condemned the unauthorized use of its branding, saying it neither produced nor broadcast the fabricated content. The broadcaster said it had asked social media platforms to remove the posts and had initiated legal proceedings.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu warned last month of a “very acute” risk of foreign interference in France’s upcoming presidential election and the 2028 regional and departmental polls.

The government later presented legislation proposing tougher penalties for spreading false information during election periods.