The Council of the European Union has added Ksenia Fedorova, former head of the French division of the Russian state television channel RT (Russia Today), to its sanctions list. The restrictive measures were imposed over her involvement in Russian hybrid activity and the dissemination of pro-Kremlin narratives.
The decision was published on 24 September 2026. According to the Council of the EU, while serving as a senior executive at RT France, Fedorova took part in implementing and spreading the channel’s editorial line, including pro-Russian interpretations of Russia’s war against Ukraine. After RT’s broadcasting was banned in the European Union in 2022, she continued to promote talking points aligned with Moscow’s official position in French media, including CNews, Europe 1 and Le JDNews. These included claims about European and NATO support for Ukraine, Russia–EU relations, and events surrounding the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children.
The sanctions provide for the freezing of Fedorova’s assets in the EU, a ban on EU citizens and companies making funds or economic resources available to her, and a ban on entering or staying in EU member states. After the latest update, restrictive measures under the regime targeting Russia’s destabilising activities now apply to 81 individuals and 20 legal entities.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot welcomed the decision. “France, like the European Union, will continue to counter Russia’s destabilising actions on our territory. Our determination is absolute: those who believe they can carry out hostile actions against our democracy with impunity will be held accountable,” he wrote.
Earlier, on 29 July 2026, France’s Interior Ministry ordered Fedorova to leave the country and froze her assets. The authorities accused her of spreading disinformation, manipulating public opinion and undermining citizens’ trust in institutions. In August she lost an appeal and was formally expelled. In June, a group of Members of the European Parliament had already called for personal EU sanctions against her.
Fedorova headed RT France from the channel’s launch in 2017. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, broadcasting by RT and Sputnik was banned across the EU, and the French division subsequently ceased operations. She later appeared on outlets belonging to Vincent Bolloré’s media group.
