Macron Orders Plan to Shield Critical Infrastructure from Russian Hybrid Attacks
Macron asks his government to prepare a plan protecting critical infrastructure, including defence sites, from drone and cyberattacks.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that he had directed his government to draw up a plan to protect critical infrastructure, including sensitive defence industry sites, from drone attacks and cyberattacks, describing the Russian hybrid threat as intensifying.
Speaking to reporters at the Elysee Palace after a meeting with political party leaders, Macron said the threat facing Europeans and France, particularly from Russia, had grown in recent weeks.
He pointed specifically to drone strikes and cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure. The European Union has described Russian hybrid activities as encompassing sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and interference in democratic processes.
Macron warned that such attacks would not go unanswered, and accused Moscow of seeking to intimidate Europeans into scaling back their support for Ukraine.
"We are not intimidated," he said, adding that Europe's present and future security was at stake in Ukraine.
The French president also said he would convene a Group of Seven meeting in the coming weeks to coordinate a response to the energy crisis.
He tied surging energy prices to the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as to disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Macron acknowledged the pressure that rising energy costs are placing on households, saying the situation was very difficult and distressing for many families.