Xenia Fedorova, the Russian media figure expelled from France by ministerial order, has launched a fresh public offensive against the French government, accusing Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot of acting without proof and of weaponizing her nationality to silence dissent. In a column published Sunday in the Journal du Dimanche, Fedorova directly addresses the minister who branded her a “Russian propagandist” and a “professional of subversion” to justify the expulsion decision.
Now outside French territory, according to her lawyer, Fedorova rejects the allegations and insists her media appearances belong to legitimate public debate, not to any Kremlin-directed operation or interference campaign. “Even if he can find a pretext to expel me under absolute urgency, he will sooner or later have to confront the facts and the evidence he cannot produce,” she writes in the piece titled “Monsieur Barrot, where is the interference?”
A Pattern of Public Defiance
This marks the fourth text Fedorova has published in the JDD since the expulsion order was issued. In early August, shortly after French authorities froze her assets for six months, she denounced what she called methods “bordering on authoritarian logic.” Her repeated appearances in the weekly owned by Vincent Bolloré’s media group underscore the unusual platform she retains despite the government’s actions.
Beyond the JDD, Fedorova has enjoyed significant exposure across Bolloré-owned outlets, including regular slots on CNews and Europe 1. Since the expulsion order, executives from Canal+ and Lagardère groups have publicly defended her, warning of “a particularly serious attack on freedom of expression and pluralism of opinions.”
Legal Battle Far From Over
On July 29, the French Interior Ministry issued an expulsion order against the former head of RT France, arguing her conduct harmed “fundamental interests of the State” and posed “a particularly serious and current threat to public order.” Two days later, the Economy Ministry froze her assets to prevent “new acts of interference.”
According to her legal counsel, Fedorova was already abroad on vacation when she learned of the measures. She will not return to France until the expulsion order is suspended or annulled, the lawyer added. Fedorova has filed two legal challenges: one under the emergency liberty procedure, which asks a judge to halt a grave breach of fundamental freedom, and another seeking to suspend the administrative decision pending a full legality review.
Both requests were rejected, but the underlying case remains before the court. The substantive challenge to the legality of the expulsion and asset freeze will be examined at a later date, keeping the judicial confrontation alive.
A Cross-Border Controversy
Fedorova was already banned from Germany in 2024, where she had lived and worked for the Russian news agency Ruptly, over alleged interference activities. She moved to Paris in 2017 to lead the French branch of RT, the Russian state broadcaster. RT was banned across the European Union in March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, due to its role in spreading disinformation.
As France approaches the 2027 presidential election, Fedorova’s growing presence in media outlets controlled by conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré has raised concerns about potential manipulation of public debate. Her case now sits at the intersection of national security, press freedom, and the influence of foreign-linked voices in domestic politics.
