Russian actors use defamation lawsuits in France to target critics

In France, RT, a Russian state media outlet, has initiated multiple defamation lawsuits targeting critics who accuse it of spreading propaganda and stirring unrest, notably concerning the Yellow Vest protests. RT lost cases against former government spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux and the satire magazine Charlie Hebdo, but persists in strategic legal actions, including the upcoming trial of Nicolas Tenzer on September 30, 2021. Beyond media entities, Russian-linked individuals also use litigation to defend portrayals in books about Kremlin networks, as seen in lawsuits against academics in France and authors in Britain. Experts view this trend as an attempt to weaponize judicial systems as part of Russia's information warfare, facilitating reputational laundering by wealthy clients and imposing chilling effects on free speech and investigative reporting internationally.