[Policy](https://leakly.com/policy/)[[Corroborated]](https://leakly.com/editorial-guidelines/#status) # Leaked EU assessment says a covert Russian network exploited France's October riots A restricted EU document seen by Reuters says Operation Overload faked Western news videos about the unrest; a separate French report found MAGA-linked posts drew far more views. Published 09 Nov 2026, 20:09 UTC ![Post by @Reuters on X](https://leakly.com/assets/og/russian-network-exploited-french-riots-eu-assessment.png) Reuters on X, 9 Nov 2026. [Reuters on X, 9 Nov 2026](https://x.com/Reuters/status/2119678875739488600). ## Claim A restricted-circulation EU assessment, seen by Reuters, says the covert Russian network Operation Overload used social media to exploit France's October riots, blaming the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portraying the French government as having lost control. Status [[Corroborated]](https://leakly.com/editorial-guidelines/#status) ## What's supported * Reuters reported on November 9 that it had seen a restricted EU assessment naming Operation Overload as exploiting the French riots between Oct. 7 and Oct. 21. * The EU document found no evidence that Russia or other actors instigated or escalated the protests. * A separate French foreign ministry assessment counted more than 49 million views for the top 10 MAGA-linked posts on the unrest, against 2.8 million for the top 10 pro-Russian posts. ## What's not established * Neither assessment has been published, and Reuters said it could not independently verify their assertions. * The Russian foreign ministry has not responded to the findings. ## What would confirm it Publication of the EU diplomatic service assessment or the French foreign ministry report, or an on-record statement from either body confirming their findings. A covert Russian network sought to exploit October's riots in France by blaming the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portraying the government as having lost control, according to an internal EU assessment seen by Reuters. @Reuters posted the exclusive on X at 06:30 UTC on November 9, and [France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20261109-russian-network-used-social-media-to-blame-french-riots-on-immigration-eu-report-says) carried the full report the same day. The document is described as restricted-circulation and was prepared by disinformation experts in the EU's diplomatic service. > **Reuters** @Reuters > > Exclusive: A covert Russian network sought to exploit last month's riots in France by using social media to blame the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portray the government as having lost control, according to an internal EU assessment seen by Reuters https://t.co/E9uIRt9ENv > > 2,371 likes · 1,246 reposts · counts as of 09 Nov 2026, 19:50 UTC > > — Reuters (@Reuters) [November 9, 2026](https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/2119678875739488600) The EU analysis, which covers Oct. 7 to 21, says the network known as Operation Overload spread videos impersonating Western media outlets, some falsely claiming migrants had raped protesters or that terrorist attacks were imminent, according to France 24. It found that Russia sought to "depict the French leadership as weak and increasingly authoritarian," but found no evidence that Moscow or other actors had instigated or escalated the protests, describing the activity as "the opportunistic exploitation of unrest." A separate internal assessment compiled by France's foreign ministry, also seen by Reuters, found that the 10 most-viewed X posts on the unrest from "pro-Russian spheres" got 2.8 million views from Oct. 16 to Oct. 18, France 24 reported. The 10 most-viewed posts by MAGA-linked officials, media outlets and influencers got more than 49 million views in the same window, and the 10 most-viewed posts from Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets and influencers got more than 35 million, according to the same report. Reuters was not able to independently verify assertions made in either the French or the EU report, France 24 noted. The Russian foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. French officials referred Reuters to remarks by President Emmanuel Macron, who said on Oct. 21 there had been no visible foreign interference behind the protests but there had been "foreign manipulation of information." The EU report says Operation Overload has been active since September 2023 and targets Western "public figures, institutions, and media outlets" to discredit their support for Ukraine, according to [IBTimes](https://www.ibtimes.com/eu-assessment-russian-network-exploited-french-unrest-3809547). Neither internal assessment has been publicly released, IBTimes reported, and [Kyiv Post](https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89545) reported that Netanyahu's office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. [Corroborated] ## What happened later The EU report says Operation Overload has been active since September 2023 and targets Western "public figures, institutions, and media outlets" to discredit their support for Ukraine, according to IBTimes. Neither internal assessment has been publicly released, IBTimes reported, and Kyiv Post reported that Netanyahu's office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. ## Sources * [Original X post by @Reuters](https://x.com/Reuters/status/2119678875739488600) * [Russian network used social media to blame French riots on immigration, EU report says - France 24](https://www.france24.com/en/france/20261109-russian-network-used-social-media-to-blame-french-riots-on-immigration-eu-report-says) * [Russia Exploited French Riots With Fake News Campaign, European Union Concludes | IBTimes](https://www.ibtimes.com/eu-assessment-russian-network-exploited-french-unrest-3809547) * [Russian Network Used French Riots to Spread Anti-Migrant Lies](https://www.kyivpost.com/post/89545) [Corrections](https://leakly.com/corrections/) · [Contact](https://leakly.com/contact/)