Russia bans two French lawmakers, two journalists in tit-for-tat move

What the report says

Russia has barred two French lawmakers and two French journalists from entering the country, in a move framed by Moscow as retaliation for France’s expulsion of a pro-Kremlin media figure earlier this year. The blacklist was announced on Wednesday by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to Al Jazeera, which said the decision followed tensions over the treatment of Xenia Fedorova, a former head of RT France.

The people named in the ban are lawmakers Sacha Houlie and Arthur Delaporte, along with journalists Paul Gogo and Ariane Chemin. Zakharova said the action was a response to what Moscow described as the “harassment” of Fedorova. French officials had expelled Fedorova in July, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot describing her as an “agent of influence,” while France’s Interior Ministry accused her of spreading Russian propaganda.

Fedorova, who has worked in right-wing French media, rejected the move as censorship, and Moscow had previously promised to answer what it called her persecution. Houlie said the sanction was effectively a recognition of his work against foreign interference. Al Jazeera noted that Russia has repeatedly targeted Western journalists and lawmakers with entry bans since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, reflecting the broader deterioration in Russia’s relations with European governments.