Moscow has named France its “chief enemy in Europe”, the head of the French army, General Thierry Burkhard, said on Friday. He linked the move to Paris’s backing of Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.
"That was [Vladimir] Putin’s own statement," General Burkhard said during a rare press conference about threats to France. "That doesn’t mean he isn’t concerned with other countries."
The Élysée said on Thursday that President Emmanuel Macron will make "major announcements" in his speech to the armed forces on Sunday, the eve of the annual Bastille Day celebrations.
France, a nuclear power protected by its deterrent, does not face a "direct and large-scale attack on national territory", Burkhard said. But Russia still has "many other options" to act against it, he warned. These include spreading false information, launching cyberattacks and spying.
As a "disruptive power", Russia is involved in "all forms of threat", the general said. He pointed to sabotage of undersea cables, disinformation in France and Africa, spying, and even threats in space. He said Russian satellites have carried out manoeuvres to disrupt or spy on French satellites or change their paths.
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With regard to maritime security, Burkhard pointed to "Russian nuclear attack submarines that regularly enter the North Atlantic and sometimes descend into the Mediterranean".
He added they were "clearly seeking to monitor areas that are strategically important to us, and to the British", describing the UK as another major supporter of Ukraine and a target for Moscow.
"In the air, there is frequent friction and interaction," Burkhard said. He was talking about encounters with Russian aircraft over the Black Sea, Syria, the Mediterranean and "sometimes quite far out into the North Atlantic".
"In the air, there is frequent friction and interaction" Burkhard noted, referring to encounters with Russian aircraft over the Black Sea, over Syria, in the Mediterranean and "sometimes quite far out into the North Atlantic".
(with AFP)
