France has accused a network linked to Russian intelligence of trying to influence the Paris election. The goal was deepfake attacks on candidate Pierre Yves Bournazel.
France has accused a group of people linked to Russian military intelligence of trying to interfere in the upcoming municipal elections in Paris. The target of their operation was the mayoral candidate of the center-right party Horizonty (HOR) Pierre-Yves Bournazel. His fake website and video on Platform X spread false information about his intentions with Paris’ Center Pompidou museum of modern art. The BFM news website and the AFP agency reported that, according to the Viginum agency, which monitors foreign disinformation campaigns, the operation was probably carried out by the Storm-1516 network linked to Russia, writes TASR.
- France has accused a group linked to Russian intelligence of influencing the election.
- The target of the operation was the candidate for mayor of Paris, Pierre Yves Bournazel.
- A deepfake video and fake website spread lies about plans for the Center Pompidou.
- The Storm 1516 network is behind dozens of similar operations since 2023.
- Communal elections in France will take place on the fifteenth and twenty-second of March.
The network was behind at least 77 similar operations in Western countries, including France, as of 2023. She is also suspected of spreading false claims linking President Emmanuel Macron to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A targeted attack on the candidate
According to Viginum, Bournazel’s was a “low-profile” operation with fewer than 20,000 views, while typical content of this type reaches 100,000 views. The fake page and video are still available. The removal of their content is the responsibility of the relevant services and platforms, AFP added.
The fake video was created as a deepfake and showed people posing as migrants in front of City Hall, crediting Bournazel with an alleged proposal to move migrants to the Center Pompidou. The same content also appeared on the fake website of the electoral staff of this candidate for the post of mayor of Paris.
Disarming disinformation
In addition to Bournazel, the disinformation campaign also targeted President Macron, who allegedly supported the candidate’s plans for the Center Pompidou.
Bournazel called these attacks “absolutely unacceptable” and drew attention to the risk of foreign interference in electoral processes. He said that he reported the incident not only to the Viginum agency, but also to the Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN) and expects further action against the spreaders of misinformation.
Municipal elections in France are scheduled for March 15 and 22.
