France Should Prepare for Hybrid Attacks on Its Territory – Intelligence Service

French intelligence services believe the country must prepare for attacks on its territory amid the intensification of hybrid warfare and foreign interference across Europe.

Politico reports this.

Céline Berthon, Director General of the DGSI (General Directorate for Internal Security), referred to the discovery this month of an explosive device near a Ukrainian cargo plane at Leipzig Airport.

The airport is a key logistics hub for transporting military equipment to Ukraine.

“The discovery of an explosive drone in Leipzig is a warning that we must consider the possibility of direct, more violent hostile actions on our territory,” Berthon said.

In her comments on the events in Leipzig, Berthon did not mention Russia. However, earlier in her speech, she said that “Russia’s increasingly hard-line stance is one of the main factors of concern.”

“Since 2022, we have observed a sharp and significant increase in the number of acts of interference on our territory,” she said, referring to high-profile symbolic acts of aggression, such as the painting of “Stars of David” on buildings in Paris, as well as disinformation campaigns carried out by networks linked to Russia.

Previously, Latvia convicted two individuals who, on orders from Russian intelligence services, carried out an act of sabotage against PILOT Automotive Labs Europe, a company developing autonomous vehicles.

The court also ordered them and other defendants in a separate proceeding to pay the company €3,146 in compensation for the damage caused.