French President Emmanuel Macron stressed in an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Europe has long ignored the hybrid war waged by Russia, BTA reports.
„We are currently in the process of preparation, but for a long time we underestimated the Russian threat. Russia is economically weaker, with a declining population and an industry that lags behind in innovation. However, it produces weapons in significantly larger quantities and at a faster pace. This is a serious factor that we have ignored. Now we can no longer go from peace to war overnight – we live in a constant confrontation“, Macron said.
The French leader identified Russia as one of the “biggest structural threats to Europe“, along with terrorism. According to him, the Kremlin undermines collective security through interference in electoral processes, cyberattacks, assassinations of opposition figures and use of migration flows as a tool of influence. He added that Russia is testing Europe's air defenses and has changed its nuclear doctrine.
“Russia's influence on public opinion through the spread of disinformation, including absurd claims such as a bedbug infestation in France, remains underestimated. Our open societies are vulnerable to information attacks. It is naive to think that Russia's secret army does not penetrate our democracies. It consists of small, faceless units – digital bots that manipulate public opinion in France, Germany and across Europe“, Macron stressed.