Macron orders French plan to shield critical infrastructure from Russian hybrid threats
French President Emmanuel Macron has instructed the government to prepare a plan to protect France's critical infrastructure and most sensitive defense-industrial and technological facilities from Russian drone attacks and cyberattacks. He said the hybrid threat against Europe and France has intensified in recent weeks and promised a French response. The order came after an 18 September meeting at the Élysée Palace with parliamentary leaders, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and intelligence chiefs.
Key points
- Macron ordered the government to draw up a plan protecting critical infrastructure and defense-industrial sites from drones and cyberattacks.
- He said Russian hybrid threats against Europe and France have grown in recent weeks and promised France would respond, without specifying how.
- The order followed an 18 September Élysée meeting with parliamentary leaders, PM Sébastien Lecornu and intelligence chiefs.
- Macron cited a 13 September drone strike on a Kyiv–Warsaw passenger train, an explosives-laden drone found at Leipzig airport, a signal rocket fired near a Danish frigate, and multiple European airspace violations.
- France's interior minister met regional prefects to raise preparedness, with prefects told to set up departmental security and defense headquarters within a week.
- Macron linked the threat to efforts to undermine European support for Ukraine, saying continued support for Kyiv is a condition of French security.
- A confidential French intelligence note lists power stations, railways, telecoms and drinking water systems as potential Russian targets, with services preparing for large-scale attacks by autumn 2027.
Why it matters
By ordering a formal national protection plan and tying the hybrid threat explicitly to support for Ukraine, Macron is converting a series of incidents into a whole-of-government priority. The move reframes Russian drone and cyber activity as a direct national security issue for France and signals that infrastructure defense is now coordinated across intelligence services, the interior ministry and regional prefects.
What happened
On 18 September, President Emmanuel Macron convened parliamentary leaders, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, heads of French intelligence and security services and the Director General for Energy at the Élysée Palace. After the meeting he instructed the government to prepare a plan protecting critical infrastructure and the most sensitive defense-industrial and technological facilities from hostile drones and cyberattacks. The interior minister was tasked with the file and met regional defense and security prefects to raise preparedness; the prefects were ordered to set up departmental security and defense headquarters within a week. Macron said the Russian hybrid threat against Europeans and France had intensified in recent weeks and cited a 13 September drone strike on a Kyiv–Warsaw passenger train at Yahodyn station, a drone with explosives found at Leipzig airport that German intelligence linked to Russia's GRU, a signal rocket fired near a Danish frigate on 14 September, and multiple European airspace violations. He promised a French response without giving details, and said support for Ukraine is more necessary than ever as a condition of France's security and a just and lasting peace. According to a confidential note seen by France Télévisions, potential Russian targets include power stations and grids, railways, telecoms and drinking water systems, with French intelligence preparing for possible large-scale attacks by autumn 2027 and a horizon to 2030.
Background
Macron held the Élysée meeting with parliamentary leaders, including declared 2027 presidential candidates, to discuss the war in Ukraine, Middle East conflicts and their implications for France's security and energy. Recent incidents cited in coverage include Russian drones found in Moldova, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Lithuania, suspected Russian-linked sabotage and espionage in Germany, and a Danish counterintelligence report on planned sabotage at Danish defense firms. France was among the first European countries to set up the Viginum service for detecting foreign digital interference. Macron noted that France and the United Kingdom co-lead the "Coalition of the Willing" and that exercises to strengthen it will take place in Europe in the coming weeks. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said intelligence indicates Russian plans for hybrid strikes against countries supporting Ukraine, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU plans a new security strategy to complement NATO Article 4.