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Politics: what are the links between the RN and Russia?
Politics: what are the links between the RN and Russia?
(FRANCEINFO)
A bill is being discussed to combat foreign interference. Among these, Russia, whose links with the National Rally are often singled out.
A bill is being discussed in committee to combat foreign interference. The National Rally party is often targeted on this subject, due to its links with Russia. According to Laure Lavalette, the spokesperson for the RN deputies in the Assembly, the boss of the DGSI affirmed that there was no interference from Russia in political parties. In 2023, the head of the DGSI indicated in his report that he was not aware “of a political structure or party which would be the subject of organized foreign influence or interference”.
Ideological similarities between Russia and the RN
However, the DGSI specifies that it does not work on political parties. In June 2023, a report was released following the commission of inquiry into interference by foreign powers. This report includes a chapter on the RN, and several names, such as that of Thierry Mariani, MEP who chairs the Franco-Russian dialogue association. He and another RN MEP, Philippe Olivier, met a Russian oligarch, close to Vladimir Putin. In particular, he helped the RN obtain bank loans for different campaigns.
The report “does not explicitly speak of Russian interference within the RN, but it very clearly underlines the political and ideological proximities between the National Rally party and Moscow”concludes Luc Brisson, journalist from the “True or False” unit.
