France Secretly Responds Militarily to Hybrid Attacks Attributed to Russia

Paris is reportedly responding militarily through undeclared means to hybrid attacks attributed to Russia, as revealed by the French newspaper Le Monde on Sunday, citing a military source. This development follows French President Emmanuel Macron's announcement last week of a plan to protect the country's critical infrastructure from escalating Russian hybrid warfare threats. In its report, the newspaper highlighted an increase in suspicious attacks in France over recent weeks, with no responsible parties yet identified. Examples include two simultaneous fires on September 3 near an industrial site belonging to Orano (formerly Eurodif) in Sorgues, a company specializing in explosives production, which resulted in 16 hectares of green spaces burning. On September 11, a train derailed between Cannes and Rennes, causing injuries to 44 people, one critically. On September 18, President Macron convened a meeting at the Élysée Palace with leaders of political parties and presidential candidates to brief them on threats attributed to Russia. Following the meeting, he stated in a press conference: "We are currently the target of hybrid attacks, and I have already informed you of this." The day before Macron's press conference, an unnamed French military source was asked about the possibility of responding with conventional military means to these hybrid attacks. The source replied: "This is something that is already happening." However, the French newspaper did not disclose the nature of this conventional military response by Paris against Russia, whether it is involved in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, or its location. Paris, like other European capitals, faces a dilemma regarding how to respond to such suspicious attacks. Economic sanctions against Russia, the seizure of its "shadow fleet" vessels, and the expulsion of individuals accused of spying for Moscow are increasingly considered insufficient deterrents for Russian authorities. There was no immediate comment from the Russian side regarding Le Monde's report.