France’s interior minister has warned that television channel CNews could face criminal proceedings if it puts expelled Russian propagandist Xenia Fedorova back on air, even remotely, after French authorities determined that her activities served Kremlin disinformation efforts and threatened the country’s national interests.

Fedorova, 45, was ordered to leave France in July and had her assets frozen after authorities said she had acted as a relay for Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at manipulating French public debate.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez raised the issue in a letter to France’s ARCOM media regulator after CNews indicated that Fedorova could return to its programming by video link from abroad.

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According to the expulsion order, Fedorova served as “a relay for disinformation campaigns” directed by Russian authorities with the aim of destabilizing public order in France. French authorities also described her activities as damaging the “fundamental interests of the State.”

Fedorova previously led RT France, the French branch of Russia’s state-controlled RT network.

The European Union suspended RT and Sputnik broadcasting across the bloc in March 2022, days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, describing Kremlin-backed information manipulation as an operational tool supporting Moscow’s aggression.

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France’s media regulator had previously received complaints concerning Fedorova’s claims, including statements blaming the West for prolonging Russia’s war and allegations about Latvia that regulators considered misleading.

French authorities eventually moved against her in July, stripping her of her residence permit, ordering her expulsion and freezing her assets.

Germany had already barred Fedorova from entering the country in 2024 over concerns about Russian interference activities, according to the French expulsion order.

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Nuñez … argued that providing Fedorova with airtime and the technical means to appear on French television could amount to circumventing the measures imposed against her and facilitating the same Russian influence activities that prompted her expulsion.

The warning is particularly significant because Fedorova’s assets and economic resources have also been frozen. According to the Interior Ministry, the restrictions could apply even if she appeared without receiving direct payment.

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