bogus articles were shared across social media, alleging that essential Russian chemicals were needed to create insecticides but with imports banned due to sanctions, France was left helpless against the insect invasion.

Other posts highlighted to French TV station RNC by military sources, said that “the anti-bedbug agent used in furniture and most wood materials is made in Russia “and that due to sanctions imposed on this substance”, spraying had stopped.

The fake reports repeatedly cite La Montagne as the source of this assertion, often by sharing a screenshot of an article allegedly published by the media outlet, which dates from October 4, and is titled “Sanctions against Russia have led to an epidemic of bedbugs in Paris”.

La Montagne told AFP Factuel they had never published such an article, and denounced the fake articles on social media as “forgery”.

Yes. That’s really propaganda.