protests in France, russian propaganda, French schoolchildren, European youth

This is how pro-russian media outlets portray the protests by French schoolchildren. While the protests in France are indeed large-scale, and many minors are among those detained—with specific instances of excessive police force currently under investigation—some of these actions have involved unrest, arson, and attacks on law enforcement. Therefore, the claim that the mass arrests involve exclusively "innocent teenagers" distorts the reality of the situation.

It is particularly telling that the rights of teenagers are being championed by russians—who themselves use force to suppress any and all protests within their own country, imprisoning everyone from teenagers to the elderly.
In short, russia is once again exploiting isolated, unsavory incidents in Europe to fuel propaganda about a "decaying West" and "bloody regimes," all while concealing its own methods of suppressing dissent—methods that constitute a systemic policy of the kremlin.
Fake: French schoolchildren sang the Soviet song "Katyusha" during protests in Paris.
Since October 9, russian accounts on Instagram and TikTok have been circulating such claims. They present the video as proof of the popularity of russian culture among French youth. In reality, the French protesters are performing "La Grève Générale" ("The General Strike")—a protest song calling for a general strike—rather than the Soviet song "Katyusha."
While the song is sung to a similar melody, the lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with supporting russia. The song features the slogan "Nous, ce qu'on veut, c'est la grève générale"—"What we want is a general strike." It has long been a part of the local protest culture, though its exact origin remains unknown.
Notably, "La Grève Générale" was performed during the protests against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform in March 2023. Furthermore, references to the use of this chant date back at least to 2019.Interestingly, the Soviet song "Katyusha" itself—composed by Matvey Blanter in 1938—has also been the subject of plagiarism allegations. Its melody has been compared to the "Niko-Polka" by Johann Strauss II, which was written as early as 1859.
Thus, russian propaganda is creating a false impression regarding support for russia among European youth.
Fake: 89% of French people consider putin better than Macron.
A fake video bearing the logo of the French newspaper Le Figaro is circulating on social media and russian Telegram channels. It claims that 89% of French citizens consider russian dictator vladimir putin a better president than the current French head of state, Emmanuel Macron. The creators of this fake content present the results of a non-existent poll, alleging that the French believe putin would handle the mass protests sweeping the country better than any of the candidates in France’s upcoming presidential election.
In reality, Le Figaro did not produce such a video, nor did it report on any poll concerning putin. The creators of the fake video fail to name the polling firm supposedly responsible for the survey.
Moreover, genuine public opinion polls show that the French hold a predominantly negative view of the russian president. For instance, in January 2026, Verian surveyed 1,511 adults living in France; the results revealed that 78% of respondents view vladimir putin negatively. Even among supporters of the right-wing "National Rally" party, only 21% expressed a positive opinion of the russian president. A year earlier, the French polling institute Ifop recorded a similar finding: 84% of French people view putin negatively.
A European operation by the russian propaganda center "Rybar" has been exposed in the Czech Republic.
Journalists from the Czech outlet Seznam Zprávy uncovered an operation by the russian propaganda center "Rybar"—which has over 1.5 million subscribers on Telegram and is subject to EU sanctions: https://cmp.seznam.cz/nastaveni-souhlasu?service=bcr&return_url=https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-kauzy-proc-utikate-skryta-kamera-rozkryla-operaci-ruske-propagandy-v-cesku-315093
In Prague, representatives of "Rybar" attempted to record an interview with media literacy expert Bohumil Kartuš. The questions, prepared by producer Boris Dvorkin, touched upon Euroscepticism, the possibility of normalizing relations with russia, and the narrative regarding the alleged existence of "disinformation on both sides." The intent was for Kartuš to serve as an "opposition voice" within the project, creating an appearance of balance.
The meeting was attended by cameraman Igor Dolmatov and Vitaliy Chashchukhin, who has previously worked for russian propaganda media outlets. On a hidden camera, Chashchukhin confirmed that he was carrying out an assignment for "Rybar." Once the *Seznam Zprávy* journalists revealed their identities, he and the cameraman fled the scene.
The investigation revealed that the operation was not limited to the Czech Republic. Representatives of the project also sought out interviewees in Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, France, and other countries. According to Seznam Zprávy, the project engaged russian journalists and producers living in Europe who are able to travel freely within the Schengen Area.
Furthermore, the journalists established a link between producer Boris Dvorkin and the russian Foundation for the History of the Fatherland—an organization established by a decree from putin and headed by sergey naryshkin, the director of russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
Based on materials from Spravdi.ua
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