Overview

• France's Foreign Ministry directly accused Russia's GRU unit APT28 of targeting French entities in sustained cyberespionage campaigns since 2021.
• This marks the first time Paris has publicly blamed Russia for cyberattacks using its own intelligence assessments.
• APT28 is linked to high-profile hacks, including the 2017 Macron campaign email leaks and the 2015 TV5Monde hack.
• The French cybersecurity agency ANSSI reported a 15% increase in Russian-attributed cyberattacks in 2024, totaling approximately 4,000 incidents.
• France has pledged to collaborate with international partners to deter and respond to Russia’s cyber activities, citing them as destabilizing and unacceptable.