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French authorities have uncovered a Russia-linked disinformation campaign falsely claiming President Emmanuel Macron was connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a government source revealed to AFP on Friday.
The sophisticated operation comes amid heightened global interest in Epstein’s associates following the U.S. Justice Department’s recent release of nearly three million documents related to the investigation of the disgraced financier, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
France’s Viginum agency, which specializes in countering foreign digital interference, identified the operation on Wednesday. The campaign centered on a fabricated video report that falsely accused Macron of involvement in what they termed the “Epstein affair,” according to the government source.
The disinformation effort included a fraudulent website mimicking the identity of the French media outlet France-Soir. The fake report purported to be written by Le Parisien journalist Victor Cousin and claimed to reveal “documents” implicating the French president – documents that do not exist in the Justice Department’s files on Epstein.
Cousin, 26, described filing a police complaint after discovering his identity had been stolen. “I had to explain how pro-Russian individuals had stolen my identity to attack the French president,” he wrote in Le Parisien. “The police officer in front of me stared at me with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what I was saying.”
The legitimate France-Soir quickly distanced itself from the fabrication, issuing a warning about “brand and content theft” and clarifying that the website france-soir.net has no connection to their organization.
According to the government source, the fake site was linked “with a high degree of confidence” to an information operation known as CopyCop, which is associated with John Mark Dougan, an American fugitive currently residing in Russia. Dougan reportedly “maintains part of the digital infrastructure of the Storm-1516 information operation,” the network believed to be behind the campaign.
The first social media account to share the fabricated content was identified as “@LoetitiaH, a frequent relay for Storm-1516 information operations,” with the content subsequently “picked up and amplified by numerous other accounts monitored by Viginum,” the source added.
The disinformation posts began appearing online Wednesday, shared simultaneously across several social media accounts previously identified as regular sources of pro-Russian disinformation. These accounts, with followings of several thousand users, cited a purported email exchange between Epstein and Jean-Luc Brunel, a controversial French modeling agent who died in a Paris prison in 2022 while facing charges of raping minors.
The fabricated narrative claimed Brunel told Epstein in May 2017 that he would bring “a few boys” to a party allegedly organized by Macron. No such email exists in the released Epstein files.
The operation employed sophisticated tactics including a video with audio dubbed using artificial intelligence, screenshots of altered documents, and links to the impersonated media site – registered with a .net rather than the authentic .fr domain – to lend credibility to the false claims.
This incident occurs against a backdrop of increasing Russian disinformation activities targeting European nations since Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The French government has repeatedly warned citizens about these campaigns, which have grown in both frequency and sophistication.
According to Viginum, the Storm-1516 network has been responsible for at least 77 disinformation operations targeting Western countries between late 2023 and March 2025.
The collective Antibot4Navalny, which monitors pro-Kremlin bot networks, noted that Storm-1516 and another network called Matryoshka launched simultaneous campaigns targeting Macron earlier this year. However, the group cautioned there was no proven “direct link beyond the timing and topics” connecting the two operations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been targeted by false posts following the Epstein files’ publication, highlighting Russia’s continued use of high-profile news events as vectors for disinformation against Western leaders and Ukraine’s government.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova seized on the Epstein files this week, claiming they demonstrate “how the Western elite treats children” and that such officials “stand behind the Kyiv regime” – further illustrating Moscow’s strategy of exploiting sensitive topics to undermine support for Ukraine.
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7 Comments
While the Epstein case has raised many legitimate questions, it’s clear this disinformation campaign is not about seeking the truth. It’s a cynical attempt to damage Macron’s reputation using fabricated evidence. The French government is right to call this out and expose the lies.
This is a concerning example of how foreign actors are exploiting high-profile cases like the Epstein affair to sow discord and undermine democratic institutions. I hope the French authorities can effectively counter this disinformation campaign and maintain public trust.
Agreed, tackling disinformation requires a multi-pronged approach of public awareness, media literacy, and robust fact-checking. It’s an ongoing battle, but one that’s crucial for preserving the integrity of our political processes.
It’s alarming to see how sophisticated these disinformation operations can be, with fake websites and documents. Kudos to the French government for detecting this Russia-linked campaign targeting Macron. Fact-checking and transparency are crucial to counter these kinds of malicious efforts.
You’re right, disinformation poses a real threat to democracy. The public needs to be vigilant and rely on credible news sources to cut through the noise.
The Epstein scandal has become a breeding ground for all sorts of conspiracy theories and misinformation. It’s disappointing, but not surprising, to see it being weaponized for political ends. The French government is right to take this seriously and push back against the lies.
This disinformation campaign sounds like a serious attempt to undermine public trust in Macron. It’s concerning that foreign actors would stoop to fabricating evidence and impersonating journalists. I hope the French authorities can get to the bottom of this and expose the truth.