Russia - Q&A (10 november 2023)

On the subject of the Russian RRN/Doppelgänger network, which VIGINUM [a French government agency tasked with vigilance and protection against foreign digital interference] identified as having “amplified” the spread of Star of David graffiti: have there been any new developments since yesterday’s communiqué? What does the Foreign Ministry know about ties between RRN and the Kremlin? RRN had also created fake media sites after the war broke out in Ukraine. Has VIGINUM detected any other destabilization attempts by the group since then?

This past June, VIGINUM’s investigation illuminated the role played by Russian individuals and actors in the conduct of that campaign, and shed light on the participation of Russian diplomatic missions in the sharing of fake content produced for the campaign before it was posted online. We did not and do not have any information attributing this campaign to the Russian government, but last June we denounced the involvement of Russian state actors in its spread and amplification. RRN is an active network that adapts as its practices are detected and denounced. We are remaining vigilant, and VIGINUM is continuing its investigations. We are also maintaining a close dialogue with our partners in order to alert them when we detect new operations. In late August, investigative reporting, particularly by Le Monde, confirmed that RRN had expanded its operations on the American media scene.