At a time when hybrid warfare and Russian interference are at the forefront of global concerns, the appointment of a former employee of the Kremlin’s propaganda channel Russia Today (RT) as head of a major French magazine is deeply troubling.
The media group Czech Media Invest (CMI) has announced a leadership change at the weekly magazine Marianne. Natacha Polony, editor-in-chief since 2018, will be replaced by journalist Frédéric Taddeï. He is set to take office on March 1, 2025, according to CMI France, owned by Czech businessman Daniel Křetínský, who also controls Elle, Télé 7 Jours, and Franc-Tireur.
From 2018 to 2022, Frédéric Taddeï hosted a daily show on RT France, the Kremlin’s propaganda channel, which was banned from the Élysée Palace in 2017 and suspended by the European Commission on March 2, 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
When questioned by Causeur about whether he was uncomfortable being “paid by Putin,” he responded, “I don’t care at all who pays me” and saw no issue in contributing to a Russian state propaganda outlet. On France Inter, he justified himself by saying: “Apparently, in Russian media, you can say whatever you want about Vladimir Putin… Anyway, he doesn’t need that; he’s so popular in Russia…” This statement was made on September 4, 2018—four years after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.
On February 22, 2022, Frédéric Taddeï announced he was stepping down from his show out of “loyalty to France” after Vladimir Putin ordered his army to invade eastern Ukraine. However, he clarified that he would not be leaving the Russian channel entirely, stating, “Xenia Fedorova, the president of the channel, asked me not to make any hasty decisions.” He philosophized in Le Figaro, “You never know, things might get back to normal.”
Later, on C8, Taddeï gave a different version of events, now claiming he “left RT before the war in Ukraine began.” In that same interview, as Russian bombs rained down on Ukraine, he lamented, “It cost me money to leave.”
Stand With Ukraine is deeply concerned about the appointment of a former figurehead of Moscow’s propaganda media to the editorial leadership of Marianne, a respected publication with significant influence in public discourse.
We are also alarmed by the potential spread of propaganda narratives and Russian influence within a major French media outlet, especially as disinformation campaigns from Russia become increasingly frequent and widespread.
Additionally, we are concerned about the media platform that will now be afforded to a former employee of a Russian propaganda network, effectively rehabilitated by becoming the director of Marianne.
The appointment of Frédéric Taddeï as head of Marianne is both unacceptable and incomprehensible. It raises serious questions about the political and economic interests this decision might serve for its owner, businessman Daniel Křetínský, whose wealth and business ventures are closely tied to Russian fossil fuels. A significant portion of his income depends on his Eustream pipeline, which exports Russian gas to Central Europe. Notably, Mr. Křetínský’s personal fortune nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, during the height of the war in Ukraine, according to an investigation by L’Express.
