Macron warns Russian hybrid attack threat to Europe is 'real'
French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that the threat of Russian hybrid attacks against European countries was “real”, urging heightened vigilance across the continent.
Speaking in Paris, Macron pointed to recent drone incursions and an attempted attack at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport as signs that no European country was immune.
“What happens in Leipzig can happen in any other European city,” Macron said. “The drone intrusions in the airspace of several countries... show us that no one is safe.”
He said France was strengthening security around strategic companies and its defence industrial and technological base, while mobilising regional authorities to respond to potential threats. “We are in a time of vigilance,” Macron said.
His remarks came a day after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that intelligence assessments indicated possible hybrid drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland. Tusk said such incidents could be presented as accidental in an attempt to weaken NATO's resolve.
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Germany has blamed Russia for the August 4 incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport, where an explosives-laden drone was found near a Ukrainian aircraft and defused.
Russia has repeatedly denied Western allegations that it is conducting sabotage operations across Europe.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
