Putin's henchman promotes Kremlin's interests in France, corresponds with Le Pen

InformNapalm writes about it.

Babakov arranged meetings with senior Kremlin officials for Le Pen and Schaffhauser

Babakov's correspondence suggests that he was responsible for organizing visits by French politicians and talks with senior Russian officials. For example, Le Pen asked him to organize a meeting with Russian intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin.

Babakov also organized other meetings for her with high-ranking Kremlin officials, including Putin.

“Dear Mrs. Le Pen, I would like to invite you and MEP Jean-Luc Schaffhauser to visit Moscow from 24 to 26 May for meetings and talks,” the journalists quote Babakov's invitation, dated April 2015.

Le Pen met Vladimir Putin, in Moscow in March 2017. Russian President said that he was not trying to influence the French presidential election, but met with Le Pen because she represents a "fast-growing element" in European politics. 

Marine Le Pen has urged the lifting of EU sanctions against Russia, claiming that they are "counterproductive" Moreover, she stated that Russia's annexation of Crimea was not illegal. Such statements match Russian propaganda. 

Babakov was a key person in the negotiations between Le Pen's National Front and the Kremlin over a Russian loan to the French far-right party.

According to Mediapart, Le Pen met with Babakov during a secret trip to Russia in February 2014, during negotiations for the first Russian loan. 

“Babakov’s background is more that of an oligarch close to the Kremlin who juggles several hats, mixing international politics and business. Babakov has overseen the Kremlin’s schemes and networks to spread Russian political and cultural influence in Europe, particularly France,” InformNapalm writes.

The National Front received a loan from the First Czech-Russian Bank in September 2014. According to Re:Baltica and Mediapart.fr, Marine Le Pen got 9 million euros from the Russian bank in exchange for supporting Russia's policy towards Ukraine.

Behind the scenes of the Russian loans to the National Front, a network of intermediaries and shady structures was created that helped Marine Le Pen's party receive millions and hide the origin of these funds.  

Babakov and people close to him connected the National Front with three Russian banks with questionable profiles. According to Mediapart, in 2014, Jean-Luc Schaffhauser, a member of the European Parliament and a member of Marine Le Pen's campaign headquarters, together with Oleksandr Babakov, acted as intermediaries in obtaining a loan.

The French financial prosecutor's office launched a preliminary investigation into Schaffhauser in February 2016, according to Mediapart. Law enforcement agencies are trying to establish the origin of Schaffhauser's funds. 

However, the case also has a major political component: several emails have shown that Russian intermediaries advised Jean-Luc Schaffhauser during several of his speeches in the European Parliament, indicating the pro-Putin influence behind Russian funding of the National Front.

Babakov's relationship with French journalists to spread Russian influence in France 

At least, there are requests for an interview from Raphaël Trezanini, a journalist for Canal+. In his letter, the journalist writes that the loan provided by the Russian bank to Marine Le Pen's party was intended to "support the traditional values of France."

"Recently, the position of Marine Le Pen’s party has been significantly strengthened, thanks to Russian business’s tangible support. In particular, the First Czech-Russian Bank allocated a large loan to support the traditional values of France. We know that the National Front owes much of this loan to you. We would like to discuss the prospects of Russian-French cooperation and its importance for you,” Trezanini wrote in an email.

Journalists were unable to find any stories featuring Babakov on Canal+. However, Babakov's hacked emails exposed his attempts to take control of media outlets in Europe to spread Kremlin propaganda and strengthen Russian influence.