Xenia Fedorova faces expulsion from France as her lawyer announces an appeal

Herz — World Desk · 29 July 2026 at 16:16 · 30s summary · 3 min read

What we know

Xenia Fedorova was served with a ministerial expulsion order on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, according to France 24. Her lawyer immediately announced plans to challenge it.

According to the order quoted by Libération, her conduct harms the fundamental interests of the French state. It says her presence in France poses a particularly serious and current threat to public order.

The document accuses her of relaying disinformation campaigns directed by the Russian authorities. It says these campaigns seek to destabilise public order, manipulate public opinion and weaken Europeans’ trust in their institutions, particularly in France.

Her lawyer plans an appeal

Emmanuel Piwnica, Fedorova’s lawyer, described the decision as a serious infringement of a journalist’s freedom of expression. He said his client had always carried out her work properly.

Canal+ and Lagardère, which employ Fedorova, also described the decision as a particularly serious infringement of freedom of expression.

Her media career

Fedorova previously headed RT France, the French-language branch of the Russian state-funded international news network RT. The European Union has banned its broadcasts since March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

She now appears on the French outlets CNews and Europe 1 and writes a column for the weekly JDNews. France 24 reports that she regularly defends Kremlin positions in those roles.

She is also barred from entering Germany, according to a source close to the case quoted by AFP.

Controversy over her residence permit

Fedorova is a 45-year-old Russian citizen. Her French residence permit was extended for ten years in 2024, a disclosure that sparked intense controversy in late May 2026.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the government did not intervene in the extension. He explained that some permits are renewed as a matter of right when the relevant conditions are met.

The French government and President Emmanuel Macron have called Fedorova a Kremlin propagandist. Members of the European Parliament have asked the European Union to impose sanctions on her.

Complaints concerning her remarks

Several complaints concerning remarks Fedorova made on CNews remained under review on July 29, 2026. They were submitted to Arcom, France’s independent public authority responsible for regulating the audiovisual and digital sectors.

Fedorova publicly maintains that the West decided to prolong the war in Ukraine. She also says Europe is tempted to go to war with Russia.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has distinguished what he describes as Fedorova’s propaganda from foreign interference. He nevertheless said that harming the nation’s fundamental interests would be a red line for her residence permit.