France was reportedly the most popular foreign destination among Russian officials and other figures linked to the Kremlin, according to media reports published on 1 October 2026.
The reports cited an investigation by Proekt, based on leaked Federal Security Service border-crossing databases covering the period from 2014 to 2023. According to the reports, seven of the 10 countries most frequently visited by Russian officials were in Western or Southern Europe.
France ranked first among the destinations identified for Russia’s political establishment. The reports said that the country was a major location for leisure by senior state officials and their families, with the French Riviera and Paris among the destinations mentioned.
They also alleged that, during the 10-year period, Russian officials spent millions of dollars on private business jets travelling to the French Riviera and Paris, sometimes alongside oligarchs, pro-Kremlin propagandists, cultural figures and people described in the source as members of criminal circles.
The findings were presented as contrasting with the Kremlin’s public rhetoric about a “pivot to the East” and confrontation with the West. The source said that Russian officials continued to favour France and other European Union countries for leisure despite that rhetoric.
The reported investigation is available from Proekt. The claims are based on the cited leaked data and reporting and are not independently verified here.
