On Tuesday, France’s foreign ministry formally accused Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency of conducting cyber attacks against various entities, including government ministries, defense contractors, and think tanks, since 2021, with the aim of undermining France’s stability. This accusation targets GRU unit APT28, which officials claim operates from Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia.
While this is not the first time a Western nation has made such allegations, it marks the first instance where Paris has attributed these actions to the Russian state based on its own intelligence findings. The ministry’s statement noted that APT28’s cyber activities against France date back to 2015, highlighted by the hacking of TV5 Monde, which was claimed by alleged Islamic State militants.
France has linked APT28 to the cyber attack during the 2017 presidential election, where emails from Emmanuel Macron’s campaign were leaked alongside disinformation. A report from France’s National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) indicated that APT28 has been attempting to gather strategic intelligence from various organizations across Europe and North America.
Officials stated that the decision to make this information public was to keep citizens informed amid the current political uncertainty and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Russia’s embassy in Paris did not provide a response to the request for comments.
ANSSI reported a significant increase in cyber attacks targeting French ministries, local governments, defense firms, aerospace companies, think tanks, and financial institutions last year. They noted that APT28’s latest attack occurred in December, with approximately 4,000 cyber incidents attributed to Russian actors in 2024, reflecting a 15% rise compared to 2023.
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The foreign ministry condemned these destabilizing actions as unacceptable and unworthy of a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, asserting that France, in collaboration with its partners, is committed to employing all available measures to anticipate, deter, and counter Russia’s harmful activities in cyberspace.
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