France orders critical infrastructure defense plan over escalating Russian hybrid attacks

Plan to shield critical infrastructure

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the government on 18 September 2026 to prepare a comprehensive plan protecting critical infrastructure and defense industry facilities from Russian hybrid operations. Speaking at the Elysee Palace after consultations with party leaders on the security consequences of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Macron stated that sabotage, cyber interference, and drone threats targeting France and its European partners had grown in recent weeks. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that national, regional, and local authorities will work together to shield the defense technological and industrial base from cyber intrusions and drone incursions.

Macron noted that France was among the first European nations to build formal counter-interference structures, creating the Viginum agency five years earlier to detect foreign digital manipulation and assist partners such as Romania and Moldova.

In recent weeks, the Russian hybrid threat against Europeans and against France has intensified.

Escalation of hybrid threats across Europe

European officials have cautioned that Moscow is increasing asymmetric operations to test allied unity and reduce backing for Kyiv. Macron referenced an incident involving an explosive-laden drone discovered at Leipzig Airport in Germany earlier in the summer, an operation linked to Russian actors. French authorities reiterated that recent actions targeting French interests would receive a coordinated European response rather than go unanswered.

The intent is to intimidate us and break our effort to support Ukraine. The result will be the exact opposite. We are not intimidated because we know that our security today and tomorrow is at stake in Ukraine.

Warnings from regional allies

The French security initiative follows warnings from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who addressed lawmakers in Warsaw on 17 September 2026 regarding Russian military planning. Tusk stated that intelligence pointed to potential Russian drone and missile strikes against countries supporting Ukraine, specifically targeting NATO's eastern flank. According to Tusk, Moscow could stage such strikes on allied territory and subsequently claim they were accidents to sow political division within the alliance. The warnings followed an incident on 13 September 2026 in which a Russian drone struck a passenger train near the Ukrainian border with Poland.

Energy coordination and G7 summit

Macron linked hybrid risks to wider economic security, announcing that France will convene a Group of Seven meeting within weeks to address energy supplies. The summit aims to align storage policies and explore the coordinated release of strategic oil and fuel reserves among member states. High fuel costs remain driven by wartime damage to Ukrainian and Russian energy infrastructure alongside navigation disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Macron confirmed that France has filled its domestic diesel and natural gas reserves for the upcoming winter and scheduled discussions with the European Commission President regarding European Union gas reserves. France has also offered to supply naval escorts for tankers and container vessels in the Strait of Hormuz once United States and Iranian negotiations allow navigation to reopen peacefully.