France set to summon Russian ambassador to Paris over alleged cyberattack campaign

France is set to summon the Russian ambassador to Paris in the coming days to protest an alleged extensive cyberhacking campaign orchestrated by Russia against multiple European countries, including France itself. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the move, emphasizing that France would also implement sanctions against specific Russian individuals and entities implicated in the cyberattacks. "Today, we will publicly condemn a widespread cyber campaign conducted by Russia that aimed to carry out sabotage and spying against a dozen countries," Barrot stated during a television interview. He confirmed that France would sanction nine Russian individuals and four Russian entities for their alleged roles in the campaign, which he attributed to Russia's Federal Security Service. This action by France occurs as the European Union is reportedly working to finalize a 21st package of sanctions against Moscow, in response to Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine. The EU's foreign policy chief indicated that further sanctions might be decided upon soon. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom also revealed its own package of sanctions targeting Russian cyber networks. The British government accused these networks of attempting to sow chaos and division throughout Europe. A government statement specified that the sanctions target 24 individuals and entities behind "destructive cyber and hybrid operations," including cybercriminals linked to Russian intelligence services. Senior leadership figures within Russia's GRU military intelligence agency were specifically named and sanctioned for directing these operations.

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Today, we will publicly condemn a widespread cyber campaign conducted by Russia that aimed to carry out sabotage and spying against a dozen countries.