Overview
- The European Union added Xenia Fedorova to its sanctions list on Thursday 24 September, imposing an asset freeze and an EU travel ban.
- Those EU measures follow national actions by France in July that ordered her expulsion and froze her French assets and a reported prior ban on her staying in Germany.
- France and Germany jointly requested the EU listing, and French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot praised the decision as part of efforts to block Russian destabilizing activities.
- The Kremlin condemned the sanctions as a political persecution and illegal pressure on the media, and Fedorova described the move as censorship on the social platform X.
- French regulators and ministers have warned broadcasters that carrying Fedorova’s interventions could bring legal risks, a development that sharpens debate over media ownership, disinformation rules, and the limits on commentary ahead of the 2027 campaign.