A resident of Moscow who runs a Russian security company and poses as a political analyst and expert from France. Russia has tried in vain to use a figure with such a poor reputation to legitimize its illegitimate and fabricated referendums intended to invade Ukrainian territory.
We’re referring to Frenchman Xavier Moreau, who participated as an observer in the elections held under gunpoint in the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the Espreso TV channel reports.
Author of works that spark hatred toward Ukraine
Hate speech against Ukraine has been published by Xavier Moreau and has appeared on Russian propaganda television. Both “Ukraine. Why France Was Wrong” and “The New Great Russia: From the Collapse of the USSR to the Return of Vladimir Putin” were written by him (2015).
The StratPol Center for Political and Strategic Analysis was also started by Xavier Moreau. He has been residing in Moscow since 2000 and writing writings that promote Russia while criticizing the US and Ukraine.
Moreau called Bucha massacre as “a provocation”
He was invited to one of Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov’s TV shows. In that statement, he referred to the shocking mass slaughter of Ukrainian residents in Bucha by the Russian military as a “provocation.” The more closely you scrutinize Moreau’s words and his political attitude, the more rapidly you will understand that he is simply translating all of the Kremlin’s propaganda myths.
Observer in fake elections imposed by Russia
Both the “LPR” and “DPR” parties as well as the invading Russians make reference to Mr. Moreau, a neutral French observer. He participated in illegitimate elections held in Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation.
In this function, Moreau stated that “he did not detect any irregularities in the referendum” when speaking to members of the Russian propaganda media. Instead, the pseudo-referendum is widely acknowledged as a farce by the international media and sham by the US.
Pseudo-referenda on “the entry of the lands of Ukraine into Russia” was held from September 23 to September 27 in the areas of Ukraine controlled by the Russian army. As was to be expected, the organizers proclaimed their unquestioning support for joining Russia. These votes and declarations, however, are not recognized by international law.
StratPol’s channel was removed by YouTube for persistent breaches
Now, the main channel for Xavier Moreau’s propaganda in Russia is the government-run, multilingual TV channel RT (Russia Today). A TV program with the catchy title “World Chessboard” is introduced on-air by the former French paratrooper.
The narratives remain the same: criticizing the United States and labeling Ukrainians as Nazis. And this despite the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine with a full-scale war, destroyed cities, and slaughtered innocent citizens with ballistic missiles. But now Mr. Moreau is no longer able to covertly spread Russian propaganda in French throughout the entire world as a result of his bitter failures.
In response to the invasion, the European Union stated on February 27, 2022, that all of its member states will be prohibited from broadcasting RT and Sputnik in any language. The European Court of Justice denied RT France’s request for a temporary suspension of the ban. Their General Court appeal was likewise denied.
Another setback for Moreau is the removal of StratPol’s YouTube channel by YouTube. The punishment results from persistently breaking the platform’s regulations. New videos presenting Russian propaganda and hoaxes were posted on the StratPol channel, which led to the penalty. “Censorship” is what Moreau and his allies referred to the YouTube’s decision.
On his account on the Russian social network VK.com, Moreau can continue to communicate his vision in the meantime. There, he has over 2600 fans and gets over 200 likes on each of his postings. Not much, to be honest, for someone who knows a lot about geopolitics and Russia.
Russian security firm’s founder
Moreau claims to have been residing in Russia since the year 2000. The entire family of a Frenchman who got married in Moscow has dual citizenship in Russia. The Sokol holding, owned by Xavier Moreau, is situated in Moscow and employs former elite soldiers of the French Army as well as Russian security forces.
Moreau is a part of the East of France – Solidarity Donbas (VFSD) public organization, which was founded “to aid Ukrainian refugees from Donbas.” The Security Service of Ukraine says that Russian special services have complete control over the VFSD group.
Why Moreau is wrong?
Xavier Moreau was sometimes presented as an “expert on Ukraine” since the release of his book “Ukraine: Why France Was Wrong.” Based on his anti-Americanism, he is favourably embraced by more groups as well as France’s extreme right, which is extremely pro-Putin.
The paper “Ukraine: Why France was wrong” is a blatant example of misinformation meant to mislead the French audience. It begins with Thierry Mariani, “Russia’s unofficial ambassador to France,” and is a component of Putin’s information campaign against France as well as Ukraine.
A brief review reveals that this book is a very crude adaptation of Russian propaganda intended to deceive the French public. Anyone familiar with Eastern Europe may find numerous known lies there. A more thorough investigation reveals that there is roughly one inaccurate fact or misled meaning on every page.
To defend intentional omissions, propaganda, and disinformation as well as to distort reality, the author asserts a right to give an alternate viewpoint. This strategy is consistent with the propaganda machine supported by the Kremlin, which invites Mr. Moreau for interviews.
Why is Moreau wrong? Why does he promote these false claims in his book? Because he is purely bias. He promotes propagada cliches from Moscow that are clearly false.
French “DPR” activist
Xavier Moreau was heavily criticized for taking part in the opening of the “consulate” of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” in Marseille. He also took a photo with a “DPR” banner in Paris during the 2018 “Yellow Vests” rallies that sparked unrest in France.
The French interior minister at the time, Christoph Castaner, claimed that the most extreme protesters were those affiliated with M. Le Pen’s far right political party shortly after riots and fires took over Paris. Bloomberg’s resource also reported on the unprecedented activity of Russian bots in social networks that supported protests. France launched an investigation into potential Russian meddling in the country’s Yellow Vest protests.
Visits to the occupied Donbas
Moreau visited the occupied Donbas in 2016. While these individuals were attending meetings of the occupation authorities of the “republics,” their group attempted to portray their journey as a humanitarian mission. He had Emmanuel Leroy with him (a close adviser of Marine Le Pen).
As “an online analytical portal of the Center for Policy and Strategic Analysis,” www.stratpol.com, maintained by Moreau, claims to be just that. However, this website promulgates propaganda pieces regarding the unfair treatment of Russia by the West since the conclusion of the Cold War, the claimed failure of Ukraine to succeed as an independent state, and the attitude of Western nations toward the Russian government. Everything is similar to what you would see on Russian propaganda networks.
Just a few examples of the falsehoods and misinformation spread by the Russian propaganda machine may be found on the StratPol website: “American bio labs,” “protection of Russian-speaking people,” “Ukrainian nazi government,” and “the US responsibility for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.” Additionally, Moreau asserted that Russians and Ukrainians are the “same people.” He is obviously super biased, and we have no idea how does Putin reward him for his loyalty.
Moreau received accolades in Russia for his actions, which some observers deemed to be those of a “useful idiot” (the phrase “useful idiot” is used to describe a person who is thought to be propagandizing for a bad cause without fully understanding its goals and who is cynically manipulated by its leaders).
Moreau’s predictions
We don’t question this person’s bias, so let’s see how accurate and prophetic his analyses are. Moreau predicted in 2016 that “the EU and Ukraine will fall short.” Later, Mr. Moreau claimed that Ukraine could only be rescued as a state by returning to be a Soviet republic.
In addition, the Frenchman based in Moscow tweeted on February 27 that “Zelensky is over” and that “he was left alone by the West” after Russia waged war on Ukraine.
Fortunately, none of the forecasts made by this “visionary” came true, and we all realized that it was merely an effort to sway public opinion in the target nation of France rather than an analysis.
Public opinion manipulation in Russia
The field of public opinion manipulation in Russia is where Xavier Moreau excels. Because he is depicted as a French political expert on state TV stations, viewers do believe that his words reflect the views of French society. But that’s wrong.
However, the Kremlin probably came up with that idea. The propaganda machine attempted to persuade the entire Russian public that EU politicians share Moscow’s ideas by putting lies on the lips of its puppets.
Having stated that, it is obvious that by appearing as a political expert in France, Xavier Moreau denigrates every aspect of French society. It is necessary to evaluate his acts in France on a social and legal level. YouTube has already completed an operation of this nature.
