Russia has barred two French lawmakers and two journalists from entering the country, in the latest tit-for-tat move between Paris and Moscow over a pro-Kremlin media figure expelled from France earlier this year.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the entry bans on Wednesday, 11 November. Those named are Sacha Houlié and Arthur Delaporte, both members of the French National Assembly, and journalists Ariane Chemin, a senior reporter at Le Monde, and Paul Gogo, a freelance journalist and former Moscow correspondent.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova presented the decision at a briefing in Moscow. She said the four had taken part in what she described as the “harassment” of Xenia Fedorova and had called for her expulsion from France.

Why Moscow acted now

Fedorova, the former head of RT France, was ordered to leave France in July 2026. France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, accused her of relaying Russian propaganda in an attempt to harm the country’s fundamental interests. Fedorova led RT France from 2017 to 2023, and the channel was banned from French airwaves after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Chemin was one of the reporters who investigated how Fedorova obtained a residence permit in France. Gogo, meanwhile, had not worked in Russia since he was unable to renew his visa in February. None of the four people named in the bans was in Russia, nor did they have plans to travel there in the near future, making the measure largely symbolic.

Paris condemns the bans

France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, condemned the decision. He said new European sanctions against Russia would be adopted from Monday, 16 November. Barrot also pointed out that, since Russian lawmakers backed the war against Ukraine, they have not been welcome in the European Union since 2022.

Le Monde also condemned the move in the strongest terms, calling it another obstacle to the freedom to report on Russia. The newspaper said Chemin had simply been carrying out her work as an independent journalist by investigating Fedorova’s propaganda activities and Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

A press freedom flashpoint

The bans underline how far press relations between France and Russia have fallen. Le Monde’s Moscow correspondent, Benjamin Quénelle, was expelled in early 2025, and the newspaper says that for the first time since 1957 it has been prevented from maintaining a correspondent in Moscow.

Russia has imposed entry bans on dozens of Western journalists and lawmakers since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow did not, however, target French media correspondents currently based in Russia in this latest announcement.

The episode comes as European leaders gather in Dublin for a summit on European security, with support for Ukraine high on the agenda.

Frequently asked questions

Who has Russia banned from entering the country?
French lawmakers Sacha Houlié and Arthur Delaporte, and journalists Ariane Chemin of Le Monde and freelance journalist Paul Gogo.

Why did Russia impose the bans?
Moscow says the move retaliates against France’s expulsion of Xenia Fedorova, the former head of RT France, in July 2026.

What has France said?
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot condemned the bans and said new European sanctions against Russia would be adopted from 16 November.

Sources: Le Monde; France 24 with AFP.; Brussels Reporter