This video is fake. Propagandists used the French newspaper’s branding to fabricate a story about a non-existent poll. According to recent polls, Putin is widely disliked in France – only 10% of respondents view him positively.
A video purportedly from the French newspaper Le Figaro is circulating on social media, claiming that 71% of French citizens would like Vladimir Putin to be their president. “They should find their own Putin,” some commenters scoffed.
This video is yet another Russian propaganda fabrication that uses the visual identity of well-known media outlets to make fakes appear credible. In reality, Le Figaro never published such a video, nor did a poll with these results exist. StopFake checked all the French media sites and sociological research organizations, but found no such data. As in previous cases, the propagandists simply used Le Figaro’s branding for a fake video.
Indeed, public opinion polls in European countries, including France, show widespread disapproval of Russian policies and of Vladimir Putin in particular. A March 2025 French poll found Putin to be overwhelmingly unpopular: only 10% of respondents expressed a positive opinion of him, while 84% viewed him negatively, with 66% having a strongly negative perception.
So the claim in this fake video is far from reality.
StopFake has previously debunked similar fakes involving the misuse of international media or organizational branding, including Fake: Ukraine Launched a Massive Bot Attack on YouTube and Fake: ‘Zelenskyy Regime’ is Responsible for Murders and Disappearances of Journalists in Ukraine – RSF.
