Grandson of Soviet Spy Becomes French Presidential Candidate

MEP and leader of the centre-left party "Place publique" Raphaël Glucksmann announced his candidacy for the French presidency, writes The Moscow Times citing The Telegraph.

He intends to participate in the primaries and unite the left-wing electorate.

Glucksmann is known as a consistent supporter of Ukraine and European integration. He advocates for strengthening European security, supporting Kyiv, and taking a tough stance against Russia. At the same time, the politician adheres to left-wing views and proposed introducing mandatory ten-month public service for French youth — for example, assistance in nursing homes.

The history of the Glucksmann family is connected with Soviet intelligence. His grandfather, Rubin Glucksmann, was born in 1889 into a Jewish family in Chernivtsi, which was then part of Austria-Hungary.

In the 1920s, he emigrated to Palestine, where he became fascinated with communism and was recruited by the Comintern — an organization created by the Bolsheviks to spread the communist movement.

Rubin Glucksmann worked as a Soviet intelligence officer in France, Germany, and Great Britain, where he posed as a businessman and insurance agent. In 1940, he was arrested by British counterintelligence MI5 after being exposed by a Soviet defector.

It was decided to deport Glucksmann to Canada. En route, the ship carrying him was torpedoed by a German submarine, and he died.

At that time, his son André was only three years old, and due to his Jewish origin, André hid in France under the assumed name Joseph Riviere and survived the war. Later, André Glucksmann became a well-known French philosopher. In his youth, he held Marxist and Maoist views, but in the 1970s, he broke with them and became a critic of Soviet communism and Chinese policy.

Raphaël Glucksmann was born in Paris in 1979. Before starting his political career, Glucksmann worked as a journalist and documentary filmmaker. From 2009 to 2013, he served as an advisor to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, where he focused on political strategy and communications. In 2024, Glucksmann led the list of the centre-left alliance in the European Parliament elections in France. The alliance received around 14% of the votes, and Glucksmann became one of the most prominent representatives of the French left.

46-year-old Glucksmann hopes to become the sole candidate of the moderate left and challenge both the left-wing Mélenchon and the right-wing Marine Le Pen.

"If I am putting forward my candidacy, it is solely for France to regain its dignity. Are we really going to hand the country over to Marine Le Pen and the far-right? I believe that the majority of French people do not support the Americanization of French society," the politician stated. Glucksmann's main political objective is to secure the support of the moderate left without entering into an alliance with Mélenchon.

Presidential elections in France will take place in the spring of 2027. According to polls, Marine Le Pen remains the favorite in the first round.

In one scenario from The Times, she receives about 36% of the votes, centre-right and former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe — 19%, Jean-Luc Mélenchon — about 15%, and Glucksmann — approximately 10%. If Le Pen advances to the second round, her opponent will need to secure significant support.

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