Russian Telegram channels are spreading disinformation by circulating fabricated front pages of the French newspapers La Croix, Le Parisien, and Corse Matin. The fake covers claim that France's infrastructure was unprepared for the recent heatwave because funds that could have been used to modernize it were allegedly diverted to support Ukraine.

This is false. The front pages of these newspapers, dated June 30, were digitally altered. Their headlines and photographs were changed, as confirmed by comparing them with the original editions.

The fake cover of Corse Matin claimed that French citizens faced "colossal" fines for trying to escape the heat and accused the French government of spending money on Ukraine. It featured a photo of two men jumping into a fountain near the Eiffel Tower. The genuine edition, however, carried a completely different story about a summer fashion trend.

Similarly, the fake front page of Le Parisien replaced both the headline and the lead photograph. It falsely claimed that all taxpayers' money was being sent to Ukraine, leaving France without sufficient funds to install air conditioning in homes. In reality, the newspaper's original front page focused on the performance of France's national football team at the World Cup.

La Croix, a French Catholic newspaper, originally featured coverage of debate over a bill on assisted dying (aide à mourir). France's Catholic community opposes the legislation over concerns that it could effectively legalize euthanasia. The fabricated version instead included false claims that French budget funds had been redirected to Ukraine.

France did experience an exceptional heatwave in June, with temperatures reaching around 42°C in some areas. Elevated weather alerts were issued across several regions. According to preliminary assessments by French public health authorities, the heatwave was associated with excess mortality, with approximately 1,000 additional deaths recorded over a certain period, most of them involving people over the age of 65. Authorities also reported fatalities resulting from accidents during attempts to cool off, including drownings.

The manipulated images are a clear example of an information operation: genuine French news topics were replaced with fabricated headlines to create the false impression that France is funding Ukraine at the expense of its own citizens. Such fabrications are a common element of Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining support for Ukraine and fostering negative attitudes toward the country across the European information space.

This fake is part of the broader Russian Matryoshka disinformation campaign, which disguises false content as material from reputable media outlets, government institutions, or fact-checking organizations. The operation seeks to make fabricated information appear credible by imitating trusted sources, using forged newspaper covers, screenshots, videos, and documents.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, Russian propaganda earlier circulated fake front pages of French newspapers targeting President Volodymyr Zelensky following the G7 summit.

By Andrii Olenin