Former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has been targeted by fresh Russian disinformation campaigns, France's digital watchdog Viginum announced on Friday, August 21.
The candidate for the ruling centrist Renaissance party in the 2027 presidential election was targeted in coordinated online operations on August 12 and August 19, according to a source close to the case, confirming an initial report by French news channel BFMTV.
The technical investigation by Viginum attributed the campaign to Matriochka, a pro-Russian digital influence network known for deploying automated accounts and fake content to manipulate public debate across European democratic nations.
Fake media reports and health claims
Viginum explained that the operation consisted of a series of videos published over several days that contained inauthentic, inaccurate or misleading narratives spread through artificial online channels.
One video detected on social media platform X on August 12 showed what appeared to be a caricature of Mr Attal projected onto an exterior wall of the Panthéon, the landmark monument in Paris that houses the tombs of notable French national figures. Officials from the agency noted that they were working to verify whether an actual physical projection had occurred in Paris or if the footage was entirely fabricated.
A second wave of attacks detected on X on August 19 involved the publication of at least five fake news reports and five forged front pages designed to resemble leading French and European media outlets. The fabrications included a fake report carrying the branding of national news agency Agence France-Presse. Authors of the posts used artificial amplification methods, including the commercial purchase of video views, to maximize visibility.
According to Viginum, the publications circulated a range of deceptive claims, including allegations that Mr Attal suffers from Parkinson's disease and claims that individuals close to the candidate were involved in cyberattacks against the French tax administration.
Paris prosecutor opens formal inquiry
At least four distinct disinformation operations have targeted Mr Attal since the beginning of August. The candidate has filed an official criminal complaint regarding the digital attacks.
The Paris prosecutor's office announced on Tuesday, August 18 that it had opened a formal judicial investigation into suspected foreign interference targeting Mr Attal as well as Édouard Philippe, another former French prime minister who is also competing in the 2027 presidential race. Mr Philippe, who led the French government from 2017 to 2020 before founding the Horizons party, was recently targeted by a false online campaign claiming he suffered from dementia.
Mr Attal served as prime minister of France under President Emmanuel Macron before stepping down to lead the Renaissance parliamentary group and prepare his presidential campaign.
Viginum was created by the French government in 2021 as a specialized service attached to the Secretariat-General for National Defence and Security. Its mission is to monitor, detect and analyze foreign digital operational attempts to manipulate information and destabilize democratic elections.
