French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that Russia’s hybrid threat against France and other European countries had intensified, calling for measures to protect critical infrastructure. He instructed the government to prepare a plan covering key national assets and the country’s most sensitive defense and technology sites.
According to Macron, the proposed protections should address threats including drone and cyberattacks. He did not provide details on the plan’s timetable or how it would be implemented.
Macron linked the issue to France’s continuing support for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. He said France would not be intimidated and warned that what he described as Russia’s shadow attacks would not go unanswered, without specifying what response might follow.
He said the purpose of such operations was to intimidate European countries and disrupt their efforts to support Ukraine. “The consequence will be the opposite,” Macron said, arguing that Europe’s security was directly at stake in Ukraine.
The comments came as European governments expressed growing concern over alleged Russian hybrid activity, which the source described as including sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and possible drone incursions. Poland, Germany and Denmark have recently accused Russia of involvement in drone incursions and incidents involving sabotage, arson and surveillance of defense facilities, according to the source. Russia has denied neither nor confirmed these allegations in the supplied material.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that the European Union needed a mechanism similar to NATO’s to improve its response to hybrid attacks attributed to Russia. She cited an attempted drone attack on Leipzig that German authorities attributed to Moscow and called for agreement on how to respond to incidents that fall below armed aggression but still threaten national security.