The Russian Foreign Ministry falsified the translation of Lavrov’s interview with French television
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs falsified the translation of an interview given by the ministry’s head, Sergey Lavrov, to France 2.
According to FranceInfo, in the version of the conversation posted on the Russian ministry’s YouTube channel, journalist Léa Salame was attributed words she did not say, and the meaning of her questions was altered to serve propaganda. French media outlets identified several key distortions that create a false impression that the interviewer agrees with the Russian side’s position.
In particular, Salame’s statement that “little is heard about Russia defending its ally—Iran” was transformed in the Russian translation into the assertion: “You have defended your ally—Iran—a great deal.” In another instance, the mention of “tens of thousands of dead Ukrainian civilians” was replaced with “hundreds,” and the question itself was rephrased to downplay the scale of Russia’s war crimes. The translation also included the phrase “I understand you,” which the journalist did not use in response to Lavrov’s remarks about threats to France.
The French media group France Télévisions published an analysis of the manipulations, highlighting the systematic nature of such distortions in the Russian media landscape. The Russian Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the allegations of falsifying the international interview. This is not the first time Russian official sources have edited statements by foreign representatives for a domestic audience. The original version of the conversation is currently available on France 2’s platforms without propaganda edits.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at a meeting of the Russian Council on International Affairs, stated that some countries have “lost their bearings” and are acting “without restraint.”
Earlier, Lavrov stated that Russia would only be satisfied with the entire Donbas and a change of power in Ukraine.
Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia continues to view the agreements with the United States reached during the summit in Anchorage as a starting point for negotiations on a possible peaceful settlement of the war against Ukraine. At the same time, he said, the “spirit of Anchorage” is gradually fading.
