He said that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not provide France with information that Moscow was allegedly preparing an operation to launch drones from civilian ships in the countries of Southern Europe.
“But yes, the situation is indeed becoming increasingly tense. Both for Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since February 2022, and for us Europeans, since in recent weeks the number of hostile actions [from Russia] across Europe has increased greatly,” Macron said.
Journalists asked Macron whether France could become the target of Russian drones, as happened at Leipzig airport, where Germany said Russia was preparing sabotage using drones.
“My answer is yes. Let's be clear: Russia views Europe as Ukraine's strategic rear because Europeans help Ukraine. <...> We have been under attack for several years now - information and cyber attacks. <…> In France there were no attacks of the type that occurred in Leipzig. But we must soberly assess the development of the threat. We must prepare. ", said the French President.
Macron also said that France considers a realistic scenario in which Russia decides to mobilize 300 thousand people. According to him, there are “several signs that” the Russian Federation is preparing for this. “The question is whether Russia will announce it publicly,” Macron said.
On September 18, Macron met with the leaders of French political parties, after which he instructed the government to prepare a plan to protect critical infrastructure (including military-industrial complex facilities) from drone attacks and cyber attacks. He accused Russia of trying to intimidate European countries and weaken support for Ukraine.
