Macron orders plan on Russian hybrid threat

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he had ordered a plan to protect France's critical infrastructure and sensitive defence and technology sites from drone and cyberattacks after warning of a growing Russian “hybrid” threat.

“The Russian hybrid threat against Europeans and against France has intensified,” Macron told journalists after meeting presidential hopefuls and party leaders at the Elysee Palace.

Macron said Russia's actions on French soil would not go unanswered, without detailing a response. He said the aim was to intimidate France and derail support for Ukraine, but that France would continue backing Kyiv.

The meeting was held in the Elysee crisis room to brief political leaders on confidential French intelligence assessments. Nicolas Lerner, head of the DGSE foreign intelligence service, and Celine Berthon, head of the DGSI domestic intelligence agency, attended.

European allies of Ukraine, including France, have raised alarms about operations linked to Russia since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The activities cited include drone flights near sensitive sites, airspace violations and cyberattacks.

Berlin this month blamed Moscow for an incident at Leipzig airport, and the European Union said the episode bore the hallmarks of “state-sponsored terrorism”. Macron said France's interior minister had met regional prefects to increase vigilance.

A recent train derailment in Normandy injured 44 people after officials said a rail fragment weighing about 300 kilograms was found on the tracks. Some politicians and police sources raised the possibility of sabotage, but French authorities urged caution.