French Voters Defy Putin’s Meddling, but You’d Hardly Know It in Russia
"The victorious defeat of Marine Le Pen," read one headline on the French service of RT, the international TV service for the Kremlin.
In March, while professing neutrality in the French race, Mr. Putin hosted her in the Kremlin, an unusual
move for Moscow in the midst of an election campaign and effectively a Kremlin endorsement.
"I don’t for a moment think that the game is over and I don’t think for a moment
that the Russian disinformation campaign has admitted defeat." After the result emerged, much Russian coverage focused on the fact that one-third of the votes went to Ms.
"Transnational (and transgender) elites defeated the people." Outside the ranks of Kremlin acolytes, however, political analysts aimed their criticism directly at Mr. Putin’s foreign policy, saying it was time to recognize
that Russian attempts to influence elections abroad, including in the United States, were a disaster and damaging Russian interests.
" he wrote. that Judging by Facebook — all Soviet people have with relief
and joy received the election of Comrade Macron to the vacant post of our Russian Obama,
Moscow backed one losing candidate after another, including an unusual, high-profile endorsement of
the pro-Russia, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whom French voters rejected soundly on Sunday.