France accuses Russia of faking websites to sow confusion and disinformation about Ukraine war

PARIS

France’s government has accused Russia of a long-running online manipulation campaign that included impersonating the websites of leading French media and the French Foreign Ministry. The government says the alleged campaign was designed to spread confusion about the war in Ukraine. France’s agency for fighting foreign digital interference said Tuesday that it has monitored the alleged operation since soon after Russia invaded its neighbor. and traced it to Russian individuals, companies and entities affiliated to the Russian state. It says France was one of several European countries targeted and alleges the campaign has links to a sprawling disinformation network that Facebook parent Meta exposed last year. The Russian Embassy in France didn’t immediately comment.