France accuses Russian military intelligence of cyberattacks, including during Macron's election campaign
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially accused Russian military intelligence of organising large-scale cyberattacks on national institutions and strategic facilities.
Here's What We Know
French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said that the Russian GRU has been using the APT28 hacker group (also known as Fancy Bear) for several years to attack French government agencies, private businesses, think tanks, and facilities related to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since at least 2021, about ten organisations have been affected, including one of the sports organisations involved in the organisation of the Olympics. The cyberattacks against TV5Monde in 2015 and the hacking of Emmanuel Macron's election team's emails in 2017 are also mentioned.
Le service de renseignement militaire russe (GRU) déploie depuis plusieurs années contre la France un mode opératoire cyber-offensif appelé APT28. It has been cited as a dizaine d'entités françaises depuis 2021.
- Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) 29 April 2025
Dans le cyberespace, la France observes, bloque et combat ses adversaires. pic.twitter.com/9NUdyG9hxa
The ministry stressed that these actions are part of a broader destabilisation strategy that Russia is also implementing against Ukraine. APT28 has long been used by the GRU to attack Ukraine's critical infrastructure in the armed conflict.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasises that these actions contradict the norms of responsible behaviour of states in cyberspace, which Russia has officially supported within the UN. In this regard, France, together with its partners, plans not only to block and deter such activities, but also to respond to them within the framework of international law.
In addition to France, other European countries have also been attacked by APT28. In response, the European Union has already imposed sanctions on individuals and legal entities associated with this group.
Source: X
