Once again, the Association Franco-Russian Dialogue has taken up the promotion of Kremlin’s narratives in France. Recently, the number of media events organized by the association with the involvement of Russian agents of influence – experts, politicians, businessmen – has increased significantly.
As an example, let’s review several events organized by the association and published on its website and YouTube channel.
In one of the newest, named “Jean Lucat, former agent of the DST: “The Americans knew the war in Ukraine was lost”, studio guest Jean Lucat, former employee of the Territorial Intelligence Directorate (direction de la Surveillance du territoire (DST) – a former structure in the National Police of France with counter espionage tusks, the author of the book “Rebel in the Territorial Intelligence Directorate”, claims that he does not believe in the existence of Russian threat for Europe, that he is the supporter of the development of relations with Russia, like many of his former colleagues.
The next propaganda video, released in May 2024, features another “useful idiot”, Guy Mettan. Swiss journalist and politician, agent of Russian influence in the EU, who was awarded the Order of Friendship by Putin in 2017, Guy Mettan, once returned from the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, praises Putin and the occupants for how they are rebuilding Mariupol. Yes, he mentions that the city was destroyed, but he does not blame Putin and Russia for having done that. Is it possible to take his words seriously, knowing that he is the supporter of the Russian lies about American biolaboratories in Ukraine spreading viruses on Russia?
Another video material published a little earlier, in the fall of 2023, entitled “Michel Collon: “The USA supported the worst extremists” (Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria, Ukraine) is the classic example of Russian propaganda. Here, the so-called “expert” Michel Collon, author of the book “Ukraine: the war of images”, is talking about British and US-funded neo-Nazis in Ukraine, about the Maidan coup d’état (also sponsored by the US in his opinion), about the West spreading propaganda and disinformation, and so on.
Thus, we can see dozens of materials distributed by the media resources of this association.
For reference, the Association Franco-Russian Dialogue (L’Association Dialogue Franco-Russe) unites network of Russian agents of influence in France, who spread Russian propaganda, act in favor of Russia, lobby Russian interests at all levels of power in France – from the municipal to the parliament. Among the members we can see French citizens, businessmen, politicians, officials of various levels, influencers. Although the association’s official website claims that it organizes monthly conferences, meetings, and events for promotion of Franco-Russian cooperation, in fact content analysis of the materials shows that it is ordinary propaganda media, the goal of which is to promote Russian and anti-Ukrainian, anti-Western narratives in France.
The association has two co-leaders: Thierry Maryani (the so-called “useful idiot”, Russian agent in France, visits regularly Crimea after the occupation, known for his anti-Ukrainian statements) and Sergey Katasonov.
The members of the association are: Jean-Pierre Thomas – businessman, former politician, adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy, former chairman of “Rusal” (a group of companies of Russian businessman Deripaska), fan of Putin, justified the occupation of Crimea in 2014, spread Russian propaganda in Europe; Gilles Remy, businessman, specialist in international trade, admires Russian culture and art, collects Russian icons; Nikolay Duyk – politician, deputy from the National Union, visited Crimea in 2019; Michel Voisin, Pozzo di Borgo and others.
As a conclusion, we see that Russia is maintaining its “army of experts” in France, who participate in various media events and promote Russian narratives. Also, Russian agents of influence incorporated into business and political elite of France operate in physical space, where they have many opportunities.