Glucksmann warns of Russian interference after disinformation attack

Paris – 05.08.2026: According to his own account, MEP Raphaël Glucksmann has become the target of a disinformation operation by the pro-Russian Storm-1516 network. The General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) informed him about the incident, he said. A security source confirmed to AFP that the campaign was discovered late last week. Glucksmann is regarded as a possible presidential candidate for his Place Publique party in the 2027 election.

According to the available reports, the operation involved an imitation website of the media outlet Blast and a video generated using artificial intelligence. The face and voice of journalist Salomé Saqué were imitated in it. The false claim was circulated that television presenter Léa Salamé, Glucksmann’s partner, had offered public broadcasting something in return for favorable coverage of his political positions.

The forgery touched on a sensitive issue in every election campaign: the suspicion of improper closeness between candidates, the media and public broadcasting. There is no evidence for the alleged incident. Blast’s editorial team and Glucksmann rejected the claim. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, whose La France insoumise party competes politically with Glucksmann’s movement, also condemned the attack and called for joint action against foreign influence operations. The rejection therefore extended beyond party-political divides.

Storm-1516 has been known to French authorities for some time. In previous analyses, Viginum, the state body attached to the SGDSN and responsible for protecting the digital public sphere, attributed campaigns to the network that relied on fabricated accusations, imitation media websites and coordinated dissemination via social networks. According to the agency’s assessment, there are substantial links to individuals and organizations connected to the Russian state. However, the precise division of roles among the actors involved remains unclear.

The campaign follows an attack on Édouard Philippe. The former prime minister and possible presidential candidate faced false claims about his health in July 2026. During the municipal elections on March 15 and 22, Viginum had already recorded four foreign digital influence operations. For the first time, the state had established a national coordination network to protect the electoral process.

Viginum does not assess the truthfulness of every political claim. Instead, the agency examines technical infrastructure, covert coordination and artificial amplification of reach. It passes its findings on, among others, to electoral authorities and the oversight commission responsible for presidential elections. The attack on Glucksmann shows that potential candidates are already being targeted by organized influence campaigns more than eight months before the first round of voting in spring 2027.