The video is fabricated, mimicking the visual style of Euronews broadcasts. No such report appears on the outlet’s official channels, including its website or social media accounts.
A video circulating online and branded with Euronews-style graphics claims that Louvre director Laurence des Cars called for restricting Russian tourists’ access to the museum. The clip also alleges that museum officials identified a “Russian trace” in the flooding of the Egyptian collection and described the incident as an act of sabotage.
In fact, the claims stem from a real but misrepresented incident at the Louvre in late November 2025. A water leak occurred in areas linked to the Department of Egyptian Antiquities, affecting library and research collections used by Egyptologists. French and international media reported that the museum’s exhibition halls and publicly accessible collections were not impacted.
The circulating video is a fabrication and does not reflect the facts. It merely mimics Euronews’ visual branding, including the placement of the channel’s logo in the upper-right corner. No such report appears on Euronews’ official website or its social media accounts. The actual incident at the Louvre had no political dimension and was not accompanied by any claims of “Russian sabotage.”
The Louvre has officially confirmed the incident and clarified its scope. Museum officials said the flooding damaged roughly 300 to 400 books and scholarly publications, including specialized materials from the late 19th and early 20th centuries used for research. They stressed, however, that no museum exhibits or objects from the Egyptian collection were affected.
According to the Louvre, the incident was caused by technical failures linked to aging infrastructure, particularly outdated pipeline systems in the museum’s older sections. French media noted that, as a historic building, the Louvre regularly faces such infrastructure risks, making the episode far from unusual.
Neither the museum’s management, the French Ministry of Culture, nor law enforcement authorities considered sabotage or diversion as a cause. In official statements, the Louvre described the incident as a purely technical accident and said work to dry the affected areas and preserve damaged materials began immediately.
The core manipulation in the circulating video is the attribution of statements the Louvre’s leadership never made. Neither Euronews nor any other major European or French outlet published reports quoting Laurence des Cars on a “Russian trace,” sabotage, or calls to restrict Russian tourists’ access to the museum.
The video’s use of the Euronews logo and visual branding is a textbook disinformation tactic, designed to lend credibility to a fabricated story by presenting it as a report from a reputable international news outlet.
The fabricated video aligns with a broader Kremlin propaganda narrative alleging “Russophobia in France.” StopFake has previously debunked similar claims, including false reports that former French Chief of Defence Staff Thierry Burkhard had labeled Russia as France’s primary adversary in Europe.
