Russia has condemned France’s decision to deport prominent Russian media figure Xenia Fedorova, describing the move as “unacceptable” and accusing Paris of persecuting journalists under the guise of national security.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday criticised the deportation order issued against Fedorova, the former chief executive of RT France, saying the action reflected what it called France’s intolerance of dissenting voices amid heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine.
The French Interior Ministry announced last month that it had ordered Fedorova’s deportation. Since leaving RT France, she has become a prominent commentator on French conservative media outlets CNews, Europe 1 and JDNews, as political attention intensifies ahead of France’s presidential election next year.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has accused Fedorova of acting as an “agent of influence” for Russia, while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez alleged that she had spread Russian disinformation aimed at undermining France’s “fundamental interests.”
Responding to the decision, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexey Fadeev denounced the action, saying Moscow viewed it as politically motivated.
“We consider the persecution of journalists on trumped-up charges to be unacceptable and strongly condemn it,” Fadeev said.
He further argued that the deportation was part of a broader pattern of hostility towards Russia.
“The expulsion of Ksenia Fedorova, as an act of reprisal against a rebellious journalist, came as no surprise to us, as we have long been observing the actions of the French leadership, which obsessively attributes a ‘Russian connection’ to every problem in the country,” he said.
Fedorova has consistently rejected the allegations against her, describing the deportation proceedings as an act of censorship.
Her legal challenge suffered a setback on Monday when a Paris court dismissed her appeal, clearing the way for French authorities to enforce the deportation order.
Boluwatife Enome
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