France has announced diplomatic and punitive measures against Russia over a series of cyberattacks that Paris says targeted government institutions, companies and critical infrastructure across Europe.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the Russian ambassador would be summoned to the Foreign Ministry to provide explanations over what France described as a large-scale cyber campaign affecting around ten European countries, including France itself.
According to French authorities, the attacks were carried out by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and were aimed at gathering sensitive information as well as disrupting essential systems. Paris said the campaign targeted both public and private organizations in several European countries.
"We will impose sanctions on nine individuals and four organizations that participated in this cyber campaign," Barrot told French media.
The French foreign minister said the operations had two main objectives: stealing confidential information or attempting to interfere with the functioning of important infrastructure. He cited Poland as an example, saying that attempts had been made to disrupt railway systems.
