France orders Russian journalist Xenia Fedorova to leave country over alleged Kremlin propaganda

France has ordered controversial Russian journalist Xenia Fedorova to leave the country, the interior ministry said Wednesday, after accusations that she was churning out Kremlin propaganda on French television and radio.

Disinformation experts have raised the alarm about the influence of the former journalist for Russia's state-run channel RT, as France heads for a presidential election next year.

French newspaper Libération cited the expulsion order as accusing her of acting "as a conduit for disinformation campaigns orchestrated by the Russian authorities" with the aim of "destabilising public order" in France.

RT France was shut down in 2023, a year after President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

But Fedorova remained, securing a role as a commentator for outlets within conservative billionaire Vincent Bollore's media empire.

She regularly appears on the CNews television channel, Europe 1 radio and writes a column for Le Journal du Dimanche, spreading Kremlin talking points about Ukraine and the West.

Fedorova's lawyer, Emmanuel Piwnica, said the journalist would “immediately lodge an appeal” against the expulsion order.

“Xenia Fedorova is a journalist. This decision is a serious infringement of the freedom of expression of a journalist who has always carried out her work in the most appropriate manner possible,” he said in a statement.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)