Leaked Documents Detail Russian-Linked Disinformation Operation in France

Leaked internal documents from companies running disinformation campaigns for the Kremlin describe an operation that placed ten pig heads marked with the word "Macron" at nine mosques and Muslim cultural centers in Paris and its suburbs on the night of September 8, 2025.

The nine-page report includes photographs that appear to have been taken by the perpetrators, showing the heads from multiple angles. These images were not released publicly. A police investigation concluded by the end of September 2025 with the arrest of eleven people in Serbia.

Three of those arrested were convicted for acting on behalf of a Russian intelligence service.

The documents outline each step of the effort to disrupt French public opinion. They record the preparation of the pig heads, the use of blue paint, and their placement at the targeted sites. The report indicates the operation was part of a broader shift by Russian-linked actors toward what the documents describe as "hybrid" operations.

The documents were obtained by Le Monde and form the basis of its reporting on the campaign.