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France expels Russian journalist, detains pilot

Updated 5 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-06 13:28 UTC → 2026-08-06 16:25 UTC · added removed

France’s interior ministry expelled pro‑Russian journalist Xenia Fedorova on 29 July 2026, ordered her to leave, placed her under house arrest and froze her assets for six months. The asset freeze was formally published in the Journal officiel on 31 July, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez framing saying the measures as necessary steps were needed to curb Kremlin‑directed disinformation. Media groups Canal+, Lagardère and Reporters sans frontières condemned the actions move as an attack on press freedom. On 1 August the government declared Fedorova persona non grata, linking the expulsion to a broader crackdown that also grata and banned Russian‑funded outlets such as Sputnik and RT. In the same wave, prosecutors arrested a former French navy fighter pilot on suspicion of passing classified naval information to China. The legal challenge to the expulsion continued when, on 3 August, the Paris administrative court dismissed rejected Fedorova’s request to suspend the order and the asset freeze, finding she had not demonstrated the “extreme urgency” required for a rapid suspension. The ruling leaves the expulsion and asset freeze in place, underscoring the French authorities’ hard‑line stance on perceived foreign interference 3 August, leaving the measures in place ahead of the 2027 presidential election. On 6 August, Russia’s diplomatic foreign ministry, through spokesperson Alexei Fadeev condemned Fadeev, denounced the expulsion decree on 6 August as “political political persecution of journalists” and said based on false accusations, calling it contradicted incompatible with France’s professed commitment to freedom of expression. expression and criticizing French officials for repeatedly attributing domestic problems to a “Russian connection”. Fedorova announced said she would not return to France until the measures are lifted, while French media employers reiterated their criticism of the expulsion as a severe attack on press freedom.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-06 16:25 UTC France expels Russian journalist, detains pilot
  2. 2026-08-06 13:28 UTC France expels Russian journalist, detains pilot
  3. 2026-08-03 10:53 UTC France expels Russian journalist, detains pilot
  4. 2026-08-02 12:32 UTC France expels Russian journalist, detains pilot
  5. 2026-08-01 04:43 UTC France expels Russian journalist
  6. 2026-07-31 14:31 UTC France expels Russian journalist

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