# Russian disinfo targeting French 2027 election > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/russian-disinformation-targeting-french-2027-election > Updated: 2026-08-07T09:36:47.000Z. Sources: 48. Developments: 4. In early August 2026 French authorities confirmed the presence of two Russian‑linked disinformation operations, Storm‑1516 and the Matryoshka bot network, spreading deep‑fakes and false claims about leading 2027 presidential candidates Gabriel Attal, Édouard Philippe and Raphaël Glucksmann. The campaigns alleged health problems for Attal and Philippe and accused Glucksmann’s partner of media bribery. On 6 August Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot warned that France will not tolerate any foreign interference, eight months before the election, and called for regulation of large online platforms. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu presented a draft law tripling penalties for electoral false information – up to three years’ imprisonment and €45 000 fines, rising to six years when serving a foreign power – and creating an information commission. The proposal also targets platforms such as TikTok and X. Attal filed a legal complaint accusing Russia of trying to “steal the French vote” and of backing Marine Le Pen. The government opened legal proceedings against Israeli firm BlackCore for alleged meddling in local elections. Viginum linked the attacks on Attal to the Matryoshka network and confirmed Storm‑1516’s targeting of Philippe and Glucksmann, underscoring the need to protect democratic debate from coordinated foreign influence. ## Claims - Russian‑linked disinformation networks Matriochka and Storm‑1516 targeted French presidential candidates Gabriel Attal, Édouard Philippe and Raphaël Glucksmann with false information. (corroborated by 14 sources) - French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot said France will not tolerate any foreign interference in the 2027 presidential election. (corroborated by 10 sources) - Gabriel Attal said Russia wants to “steal the vote from the French.” (corroborated by 8 sources) - The draft law would triple penalties for spreading false electoral information, raising imprisonment to three years and fines to €45,000, with up to six years for foreign‑interest manipulation. (corroborated by 7 sources) - The draft law proposes the creation of an information commission to inform the public and candidates about foreign interference. (corroborated by 7 sources) - Jean‑Noël Barrot said France will not tolerate any foreign interference in its democratic debate and electoral processes. (corroborated by 6 sources) - The Russian‑linked Matryoshka bot network launched a disinformation campaign targeting Gabriel Attal ahead of the 2027 French presidential election. (corroborated by 5 sources) - The Matryoshka network has been active since 2023 targeting French politics. (corroborated by 5 sources) - Left‑wing parties have called for regulation of TikTok and X as part of anti‑misinformation measures. (corroborated by 5 sources) - The Israeli firm BlackCore was alleged to have interfered in French local elections. (corroborated by 5 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-07: Russia spreads disinformation targeting French presidential candidates Russia’s GRU, via the “Storm‑1516” group, deployed fake sites, deep‑fakes and bogus social media to target French presidential candidates Eduard Filip, Rafael Gluksmann and Gabriel Atal, prompting French probes 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/russia-spreads-disinformation-targeting-french-presidential-candidates ### 2026-08-06: France warns of no foreign election interference ahead of 2027 vote France’s foreign minister says no foreign interference will be tolerated before the 2027 presidential election; Russian disinformation networks targeted candidates, prompting a complaint by Gabriel Attal and a 28 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/gabriel-attal-accuses-russia-of-meddling-in-french-elections ### 2026-08-04: Russian Matryoshka Bot Network Targets Gabriel Attal Ahead of 2027 French Election Russia’s Matryoshka bot network is running a disinformation campaign against Gabriel Attal and other French presidential hopefuls, using fake videos that mimic major news outlets and spreading false claims of a 13 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/gabriel-attal-targeted-by-russian-matryoshka-bot-network-ahead-of-french-2027-election ### 2026-08-03: Raphaël Glucksmann hit by Russian disinformation before French election Raphaël Glucksmann says a Russian GRU‑linked group used a deep‑fake video to smear his partner ahead of the French election, urging EU action on X and TikTok. 11 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/raphal-glucksmann-targeted-by-russian-disinformation-operation-ahead-of-2027-french-election --- Cite as: Russian disinfo targeting French 2027 election. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/russian-disinformation-targeting-french-2027-election