France says Russia carried out cyberattacks, names army intelligence unit GRU for first time – Firstpost

France on Tuesday (April 29) accused Russian army intelligence of being behind cyberattacks towards the nation during the last decade, together with on President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 marketing campaign and a TV community in 2015, the international ministry mentioned.

Russian army intelligence (GRU) “has been deploying a cyber-offensive modus operandi referred to as APT28 towards France for a number of years. It has focused round ten French entities since 2021,” International Minister Jean-Noel Barrot mentioned in a message on social media platform X.

“In our on-line world, France observes, blocks and fights its adversaries,” he added.

Le service de renseignement militaire russe (GRU) déploie depuis plusieurs années contre la France un mode opératoire cyber-offensif appelé APT28. Il a ciblé une dizaine d’entités françaises depuis 2021.

Dans le cyberespace, la France observe, bloque et fight ses adversaires. pic.twitter.com/9NUdyG9hxa

— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) April 29, 2025

The accusations, labelled at GRU unit APT28, which officers mentioned was positioned at Rostov-on-Don, will not be the primary by Western powers, however it’s the first time Paris – referring to its personal intelligence gathering – has laid the blame on the Russian state.

Accusations of cyberwarfare on Russia

APT28, also referred to as Fancy Bear, has been linked to dozens of worldwide cyberattacks together with the 2016 US election, the place it was accused of aiding Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Celebration emails and people of the marketing campaign of Hillary Clinton.

Per week in the past, Netherlands’ Army Intelligence and Safety Service (MIVD) had warned that Russia has
ramped up hybrid assaults aimed toward undermining Dutch society and its European allies. The company disclosed {that a} Russian cyberattack tried to achieve management over an unspecified Dutch public service. “It was thwarted, nevertheless it was the primary time,” MIVD Director Peter Reesink had mentioned.

Final month, a report by the New York Instances had prompt that over the course of the previous two years, Russia had stepped up cyberattacks in Europe and on america in a bid to strain them to curb their assist for Ukraine.

Based on the report by the Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research, these cyberattacks had focused undersea cables, warehouses and railways.

With inputs from businesses