Emmanuel Macron has accused Russia of running a disinformation campaign with fake news stories spreading ahead of the Paris Olympics. On a visit to a new Olympic swimming centre on Thursday (April 4), the French president said Moscow was targeting the Games “without a doubt”.
He said: “Everyday (Russia) is putting out stories saying that we are unable to do this or that so the (Paris Olympics) would be at risk.”
Alleged Russian disinformation targeted at France is reported to have ramped up in recent weeks as the French leader toughened his stance on the war in Ukraine.
Recent “fake news” stories exposed by France include claims Russian intelligence masterminded the daubing of some 60 Stars of David on walls in Paris in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.
That was seen as a bid to stir up tensions between communities. French radio station Europe 1 reported a person in Russia had directed a Moldovan man and woman to carry out the act.
A second claim is that French mercenaries are serving in Ukraine. In January, Paris denied the claim by Moscow, responding to a statement made by Russia’s defence ministry that Russia had killed French mercenaries in Kharkiv.
France’s foreign ministry said at the time: “France helps Ukraine with supplies of military material and military training, in full compliance with international law, in order to help Ukraine in its fight to defend its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.”
Another accusation is that Mr Macron had to cancel a trip to Kyiv due to fears of an assassination attempt. A Russian missile had already struck close to the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his visit to Odessa in March.
Moscow has also sought to plant the idea that the French secret services might have been involved in the Crocus City Hall terror attack in Moscow, which killed 145 people.
Mr Macron dismissed as “ridiculous” Russia’s defence minister’s remarks suggesting Ukraine and France could have played a role in the attack.
His comments came a day after a rare phone call between the French and Russian defence ministers, which led to diverging media statements.
A statement from the Russian Defence Ministry quoted Sergei Shoigu as telling his French counterpart about the Moscow attack that “the Kyiv regime does nothing without approval of its Western handlers” and “we hope the French special services weren’t involved in it”.
Mr Macron said such comments were “baroque and threatening” and “nothing new”, speaking to reporters at the inauguration of a swimming pool built for the Paris Olympics.
He added it was “ridiculous”, made no sense and didn’t fit with reality to say France and Ukraine could be behind the Moscow attack.
The French leader said: “But it’s a manipulation of information, which is part of Russia’s arsenal of warfare today.”
France’s defence ministry said in a statement after Wednesday’s phone call that its minister, Sébastien Lecornu, firmly condemned the March 22 attack – the deadliest assault on Russian soil in decades.
Mr Lecornu “confirmed France had no information linking this attack to Ukraine”, according to the statement.
He also condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine and said France would continue to support Kyiv “as long and as intensively as needed”, according to the French defence ministry.
