Healthy processed event from Hybrid War Tracker
Headline: Operation Storm-1516: Russia impersonates Le Parisien journalist to attack Emmanuel Macron with fake news
Short Summary: On February 6, 2026, French journalist Victor Cousin discovered that his identity and photo had been stolen and used to publish fake news alleging President Emmanuel Macron's involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The fabricated article, hosted on a fake news site francesoir.net (a copy of francesoir.fr), falsely claimed that the French president was implicated in paedophile activities linked to Jean-Luc Brunel, found dead in 2022. The disinformation campaign, known as Operation Storm-1516 and active since August 2023, is attributed by French digital security service VIGINUM to Russian actors employing the CopyCop modus operandi and has the goal of ending Western aid to Ukraine by targeting allied leaders, media, and elections. The fake article was shared millions of times across social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, often alongside videos targeting Macron. More than 90 articles were fraudulently published in Cousin's name since December 2023 to lend credibility to the campaign. VIGINUM confirmed strong technical attribution to the Russian-linked network maintained by John Mark Dougan, an ex-American policeman exiled to Russia. Cousin filed a police report and coordinated with Le Parisien's legal services to get the fraudulent site shut down after five hours. The incident underlines the sophisticated use of AI and false site creation by Russia to conduct hybrid interference operations against European targets.
Extended Summary: On February 6, 2026, French journalist Victor Cousin discovered that his identity and photo had been stolen and used to publish fake news alleging President Emmanuel Macron's involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The fabricated article, hosted on a fake news site francesoir.net (a copy of francesoir.fr), falsely claimed that the French president was implicated in paedophile activities linked to Jean-Luc Brunel, found dead in 2022. The disinformation campaign, known as Operation Storm-1516 and active since August 2023, is attributed by French digital security service VIGINUM to Russian actors employing the CopyCop modus operandi and has the goal of ending Western aid to Ukraine by targeting allied leaders, media, and elections. The fake article was shared millions of times across social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, often alongside videos targeting Macron. More than 90 articles were fraudulently published in Cousin's name since December 2023 to lend credibility to the campaign. VIGINUM confirmed strong technical attribution to the Russian-linked network maintained by John Mark Dougan, an ex-American policeman exiled to Russia. Cousin filed a police report and coordinated with Le Parisien's legal services to get the fraudulent site shut down after five hours. The incident underlines the sophisticated use of AI and false site creation by Russia to conduct hybrid interference operations against European targets.
In early February 2026, Russian actors behind Operation Storm-1516 hijacked the identity of Le Parisien journalist Victor Cousin to publish fake news on a fraudulent website falsely implicating President Emmanuel Macron in the Epstein scandal. The disinformation campaign, active since August 2023 and linked to exiled US figure John Mark Dougan operating from Russia, aims to disrupt Western support for Ukraine by targeting allied leaders and media. The false article and accompanying videos were widely shared on social media, reaching millions of views and targeting Macron's reputation. Following discovery, VIGINUM provided technical attribution and support. Cousin and Le Parisien initiated legal and police actions to counter the attack. This case exemplifies advanced Russian hybrid warfare tactics using AI, identity theft, and fake news dissemination to execute political and information subversion.
Classified as aggressor because it clearly describes a Russian state-linked disinformation and identity theft campaign targeting French President Macron through fake news. Classified as defense preparation because French authorities and the journalist took legal, police, and cybersecurity countermeasures including site takedown and official notifications from VIGINUM.
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