Kremlin condemns European Union sanctions against Russian commentator Xenia Fedorova

Kremlin condemnation of European sanctions

The Russian government condemned the European Union on 25 September 2026 after the European bloc placed Russian media commentator Xenia Fedorova on its sanctions list. Speaking during a daily press conference in Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov answered questions from news agency AFP regarding the measures. Peskov denounced the European decision, stating that the asset freezes and travel restrictions represented direct hostility toward the press. He declared the administrative penalties invalid under international law and characterized them as targeted harassment against a working journalist.

This is blatant pressure exerted on the media. This is persecution against a representative of the media.

Peskov emphasized that the European sanctions were illegal. Russian diplomatic representatives had voiced identical objections during earlier national actions against Fedorova, arguing that Western governments were executing political persecution against media personnel on the basis of fallacious accusations.

Scope of the European Union restrictions

The European Union introduced the sanctions package on 24 September 2026, ordering a comprehensive freeze of Fedorova's financial assets across all member states alongside an outright entry and transit ban. European authorities justified the measures by citing ongoing destabilization activities orchestrated by the Russian Federation. In its official listing, the European Union identified the 45-year-old commentator as a key media actor responsible for broadcasting pro-Russian talking points aligned with official Kremlin positions regarding the war in Ukraine. Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot reacted to the European listing in a public statement published on social media platform X. Barrot endorsed the collective measures and asserted that French and European institutions would coordinate to disrupt foreign information operations.

France, like the European Union, will continue to thwart the destabilization activities carried out by Russia on our soil.

French expulsion orders and media background

The European Union's restrictive measures follow national sanctions and administrative decisions implemented by French authorities in late July 2026. French officials previously ordered Fedorova's expulsion from French territory and froze her personal assets after determining that she acted as a Russian agent promoting state propaganda in Paris. Prior to the French ban, Fedorova served as the director and senior executive of Russia Today France, the Paris-based subsidiary of the Russian state media network. Her leadership role concluded after European authorities moved against Russian state outlets following the outbreak of the war.

Television protest on French network CNews

Despite her expulsion and administrative restrictions, Fedorova maintained a regular presence as an on-air commentator for the French 24-hour news network CNews, owned by businessman Vincent Bolloré. The television channel staged an on-air protest against her exclusion during the evening broadcast of L'Heure Inter on 23 September 2026 at around 21:00. Program host Gauthier Le Bret and producers placed a framed photograph of Fedorova at the main panel table alongside an open microphone to mark her physical absence. During the broadcast, CNews re-aired archival footage from May 2026 featuring Fedorova delivering analysis on the ongoing war in Ukraine.