"Did Putin order them?" Charlie Hebdo sues over fake covers mocking Ukraine

According to Charlie Hebdo, the counterfeit covers falsely portray the magazine as a supporter of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and his aggressive policies.

The magazine made the announcement on May 26 via its official website.

"All the covers you see on this page are fake. They were not created by Charlie Hebdo, even though they bear our logo," the statement read. 

"For some time now, front pages mimicking our visual style and shamelessly using the signatures of our cartoonists have been circulating online. Who’s behind this deception? We don’t know yet — which is why we’ve decided to file a counterfeit complaint against the social media platform X. What all these painstakingly made fake covers have in common is that they smear Ukraine, mock Europe and France’s support for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and in some cases even spread rumors about Brigitte Macron’s sexual identity. One can’t help but wonder — did Putin himself order them?"

Charlie Hebdo’s lawyer, Richard Malka, confirmed the legal complaint in comments to Le Figaro.

"There’s a quasi-industrial operation behind this, producing numerous front pages of very high quality. If you didn’t know the editorial line of the magazine, you could easily be fooled. The intention behind all this clearly looks like pro-Russian propaganda," Malka explained.

In the legal filing, Charlie Hebdo states that at least 15 fake covers have been shared over the past two years on the messaging app Telegram and the social media platform X. The fake covers often include Russian-language captions and commentary. The magazine believes the content is aimed at Russian audiences to create the impression that Charlie Hebdo endorses Putin.

The media outlet said it filed the lawsuit to “dispel any doubts these manipulations might create in the public’s mind.” The editorial team added that they hope to uncover “at least the creators, and possibly even the sponsors of this propaganda campaign.”

• Russia is actively using artificial intelligence to spread propaganda, including creating networks of bots.