French spy agency's concerns over links between far-right Rassemblement National members and Russia
In 2019 a report from the French domestic intelligence agency the DGSI listed the “influential intermediaries” that were used by Russia in France during the run up to the European elections. The only four French political figures cited in this document were current or past members of Marine Le Pen's far-right Rassemblement National (RN). Among them was an Franco-Russian RN adviser at the European Parliament. Matthieu Suc and Marine Turchi report.
WhileWhile giving evidence to the Parliamentary inquiry into foreign interference in France on February 2nd 2023, the head of the country's domestic intelligence agency Nicolas Lerner insisted: “I repeat, we don't look at political parties.” However, the head of the DGSI went on to say went that over the last four years they had “on occasions suspected that individuals or elected representatives from a party might, at the very least, have been approached by a foreign service”.
