French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has defended the government’s decision to expel former RT France chief Xenia Fedorova, insisting that the move does not threaten freedom of expression.
French authorities have ordered the 45-year-old Russian national to leave the country, accusing her of spreading Kremlin propaganda through appearances on French television.
Nuñez told BFMTV on Thursday that the case concerned “an attack on the fundamental interests of the nation,” describing Fedorova as a conduit for Russian state propaganda.
Fedorova has been placed under house arrest and must report to a police station every day while her lawyer, Emmanuel Piwnica, prepares an appeal.
She previously headed RT France, the Russian state-backed broadcaster banned following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. More recently, she has appeared as a commentator for media outlets owned by French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, including CNews, Europe 1, and Le Journal du Dimanche.
The outlets expressed astonishment at the expulsion order, describing it as a serious attack on free speech.
Nuñez rejected that claim, saying French politicians and commentators who hold similar views on Ukraine and the West would remain free to express them. He said the order concerned Fedorova’s alleged activities on behalf of a foreign state, rather than her political opinions.
Fedorova denies the allegations. Last year, she published a book titled Bannie, in which she portrayed herself as a victim of state censorship.
