DISINFO: No proof of Russian meddling in French and European elections
SUMMARY
There is no proof of Russian interference in the French and European elections.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative that there is no proof of Russian interference in the elections in Western countries - see examples here and here. In reality, there is plenty of evidence of Russian state actors interfering in electoral processes. Interference in French elections included personal attacks and mocking of the then presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron. Apart from biased reporting in the pro-Kremlin media, it included a made up story about Macron's offshore accounts (the so-called MacronGate) and an actual hack-and-leak operation. According to the Insider and Mediapart, the hacking was purported by the same GRU unit responsible for the hacking of the Democrats' servers in the US. For more information, see EUvsDisinfo analysis “Tackling disinformation à la française". As for the elections to the European Parliament in May 2019, a joint report from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the European Commission on election interference clearly states that “the evidence collected revealed a continued and sustained disinformation activity by Russian sources aiming to suppress turnout and influence voter preferences" (p. 3). See here for our dedicated database of resources pertaining to Russian interference in Western elections and referenda. Politicians who support the EU are routinely denigrated, ridiculed, or accused of corruption in pro-Kremlin media, while Eurosceptic voices are given prominence. In the weeks and months leading up to the European elections, these efforts have persisted in multiple languages.