Media: Russian MFA falsifies translation of Lavrov’s France 2 interview

The Russian Foreign Ministry has distorted the translation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with the French public broadcaster France 2.

The version of the interview posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s YouTube channel attributes words to journalist Léa Salamé that she never spoke and also alters the meaning of her questions to suit Russian propaganda, Caliber.Az reports, citing FranceInfo, part of the France Télévisions media group.

French journalists identified several significant distortions. In one instance, Salamé remarked that “there is little heard about Russia defending its ally—Iran.” In the Russian translation, this was changed to the opposite: “You have defended your ally—Iran—a lot.”

In another segment, the journalist referenced “tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties.” In the Foreign Ministry’s version, “tens of thousands” became “hundreds,” and the question was reformulated to “downplay references to potential war crimes”.

Additionally, after a question regarding a Russian threat to France, the translation included the phrase “I understand you,” which Salamé never said—creating the impression that the journalist agreed with Lavrov’s position.

The interview took place on March 26. A ten-minute excerpt aired during France 2’s evening news, watched by 3.4 million viewers, while the full hour-long version was later posted online.

During the conversation, Lavrov claimed that Russia in the Middle East “is defending not so much Iran as international law,” which he said the United States is violating. He denied allegations of passing intelligence to Tehran, stating that the coordinates of US bases “are known to everyone,” and asserted that Russian forces had never struck civilian targets in Ukraine.

Following the broadcast, French media faced criticism. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed regret that Lavrov “was able to calmly present his propaganda.”

Many viewers criticised the journalist’s performance, arguing that she failed to challenge the minister’s false claims or to provide the necessary context.

Dmitry Minic of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) called the interview “useless, poorly prepared, and ultimately dangerous,” while Étienne Marquès of the Foundation for Strategic Research described it as “shameful.”

France Télévisions’ editorial team addressed the controversy in a separate statement. Philippe Corbé, head of the news department, defended the interview’s journalistic value, noting that Russia is an ally of Iran.

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s YouTube video has been viewed over 370,000 times. The ministry has not commented on the apparent falsification of the translation.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov