French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered the government to prepare a plan to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive defence sites from what he described on Friday as an intensifying Russian hybrid threat against France and Europe.
“The Russian hybrid threat against Europeans and against France has intensified,” Macron said. He asked “the government to prepare a plan to protect our critical infrastructure”, including the “most sensitive” defence industry and technology sites. The plan is intended to guard against drone and cyberattacks.
Macron’s instruction comes amid accusations by European countries that Russia has used a range of methods short of conventional military attack. These include sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and possible drone incursions.
Poland, Germany and Denmark have in recent weeks accused Russia of drone incursions and of incidents involving sabotage, arson and surveillance of defence facilities. Moscow has also been accused of planning to use a drone carrying explosives to attack an airport.
Macron said France would respond to such activity. “This will not go unanswered,” he said, referring to Russian shadow attacks.
He said their purpose was to undermine European backing for Ukraine. “The intention behind it is to intimidate us and to derail the effort to support the Ukrainians. The consequence will be the opposite,” Macron said.
“We are not intimidated, because we know that what is at stake today in Ukraine is our security,” he said. Macron said France would maintain its support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The order sets out no timetable for the protective plan, and details of the sites to be covered, the measures to be used and the resources available have yet to be specified.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on Wednesday for the EU to create a mechanism similar to NATO’s that could provide a stronger response to hybrid attacks blamed on Russia. Her proposal reflects wider concern among European governments over threats to infrastructure and defence installations.
Macron’s directive places the protection of French sites within that wider European response. It also links domestic security measures directly to France’s continuing support for Ukraine, which Macron presented as a matter of French and European security.
Comments (0)