France’s Municipal Elections Face Threat of Foreign Interference

Russian disinformation campaigns are increasingly targeting local elections across Europe, with a particular focus on France’s upcoming municipal votes, security experts warn.

In mid-November, the international press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) uncovered a network of more than 80 fraudulent French-language news websites, many designed to mimic legitimate local media outlets. These sites have been consistently amplifying pro-Russian narratives and disinformation, raising serious concerns about potential interference in France’s municipal elections scheduled for March 15 and 22.

The sophisticated operation appears linked to the Russian group Storm-1516, according to RSF’s investigation. Security analysts note that targeting local elections represents a strategic shift in Russian influence operations, as these contests often require fewer resources to impact outcomes compared to national campaigns.

“Local elections present a more vulnerable target,” explains Marie Dumont, a disinformation researcher at the Paris Institute for Strategic Studies. “While influencing a national election might require swaying millions of voters, altering the outcome of a mayoral race in even a major city might only require shifting a few thousand votes.”

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, Moscow and affiliated actors have significantly increased their efforts to destabilize electoral processes across Europe, with particular attention to local contests in smaller countries and regions.

A notable example occurred in September 2023, when Moldova’s legislative elections became the target of a comprehensive pro-Russian influence operation. The campaign employed a multi-pronged approach: creating counterfeit websites mimicking legitimate news sources, establishing networks of fake social media profiles to amplify certain narratives, and even deploying physical agitators within the country.

Despite these efforts, pro-European candidates opposed to Moscow ultimately prevailed in Moldova, a nation of 2.9 million inhabitants – comparable in population to the Paris metropolitan area with its 2.1 million residents. The Moldova case demonstrates both the scale of these operations and their potential limitations when confronting a vigilant electorate.

Similar techniques appeared in New Caledonia in 2024, where disinformation campaigns linked to Azerbaijan specifically targeted local political processes, though with limited effectiveness according to monitoring groups.

The French government has expressed growing concern about these influence operations as municipal elections approach. Local elections in France carry significant political weight, as mayors control substantial budgets and wield considerable influence over regional development, making them attractive targets for foreign interference.

Security officials note that successfully manipulating local elections requires deep understanding of community-specific issues, demographics, and political dynamics. This presents a substantial challenge for foreign actors attempting to influence these contests.

“Few recent interference operations have demonstrated an in-depth understanding of French national politics,” notes Claude Bertin, a cybersecurity advisor to the French Ministry of Interior. “The nuances of the social, economic and political contexts in cities like Nice, Brest or Colmar are even more challenging for foreign actors to comprehend and exploit effectively.”

Nevertheless, experts warn that the sheer volume of these disinformation efforts could eventually yield results if left unchallenged. The French government has enhanced its counter-disinformation capabilities, including expanding the Foreign Ministry’s specialized social media accounts dedicated to identifying and publicly refuting false narratives.

Media literacy organizations are also intensifying their efforts ahead of the March elections, developing resources to help local journalists and citizens identify suspicious news sources and verify information before sharing.

As campaigns for France’s municipal elections begin to intensify, authorities are urging increased vigilance from voters, particularly regarding unfamiliar news sources that appear to focus exclusively on local issues while subtly introducing narratives that align with foreign interests.