France’s decision to expel the Kremlin-linked commentator Xenia Fedorova has not stopped her from being offered a route back on to French television. CNews, a channel linked to Vincent Bolloré’s media empire, has announced plans to bring her back to its programmes through remote video appearances from abroad.
The move, reported by La Dépêche on 3 September 2026, comes despite French authorities’ decision to expel Fedorova and freeze her assets. She has been identified by the French authorities as a relay for Kremlin disinformation campaigns and declared unwelcome in the country. The proposed arrangement would allow her to continue addressing a French audience without physically returning to France.
A legal route back to the programme
CNews presenter Gauthier Le Bret said Canal+’s legal department had concluded that the expulsion decision did not prevent Fedorova from appearing remotely. The channel subsequently displayed her image on screen with a caption suggesting that she could soon return to the programme L’Heure inter.
The distinction between appearing in France and broadcasting into France from another country is therefore central to the channel’s position. CNews is not presenting the proposed arrangement as a cancellation of the French authorities’ decision. Instead, it is relying on an interpretation that the restrictions apply to Fedorova’s presence in the country, rather than to her participation by video link.
That interpretation would give the commentator a way to remain part of French television while outside the reach of the expulsion order. It would also allow CNews to restore her visibility without formally reversing the measures imposed against her.
Disinformation presented as independent commentary
French authorities regard Fedorova as a vehicle for Kremlin disinformation campaigns. The concern is not simply that she expresses views favourable to Moscow, but that politically motivated and partisan narratives can be presented to viewers under the appearance of independent expert analysis.
Granting her access to a major French broadcaster in the name of freedom of expression risks giving those narratives renewed legitimacy. Her return would preserve a platform through which Russian influence can continue to reach French audiences, even after the state has imposed restrictions intended to limit it.
The issue is consequently larger than the status of one television contributor. A commentator excluded from France and subject to frozen assets could still retain access to the country’s information space if a broadcaster is willing to transmit her contributions remotely. The proposed solution would test how far administrative measures can reach when the relevant person, studio and transmission are located in different jurisdictions.
A challenge to France’s information defences
The planned appearances also illustrate the influence of media organisations associated with Bolloré. Large platforms connected to his media empire can keep Kremlin-aligned narratives present in French public debate despite the restrictions placed on the person delivering them.
That matters in a political environment where such narratives may overlap with the rhetoric of far-right forces in France. The overlap creates a channel through which foreign messaging can enter domestic political discussion, not necessarily as an openly declared intervention but as apparently conventional commentary on a news and opinion programme.
CNews’s proposal now leaves French authorities facing a practical and political question: whether a decision designed to remove a Kremlin-linked propagandist from France can achieve its purpose when a broadcaster can recreate her access to French viewers from abroad. The answer will help determine whether the restrictions remain an effective barrier or become mainly a limit on physical presence.
Should France tighten its restrictions on remote broadcasting, or should broadcasters be allowed to rely on legal interpretations that preserve access to controversial commentators?
