French President Emmanuel Macron alleges that Russia is conducting a disinformation campaign aimed at undermining the Paris Olympics.
At the inauguration of a new Olympic swimming centre, reporters asked if he thought Russia was targeting the Games.
“Without a doubt,” he said, “including in the field of information.
“Every day (Russia) is putting out stories saying that we are unable to do this or that, so (the Games) would be at risk.”
This increase in propaganda activity coincides with Macron’s adoption of a more assertive stance on the Ukraine conflict, including the possibility of eventually deploying French troops in support of Kyiv.
France suspects Russian involvement in various incidents, such as the vandalism of Israeli symbols in Paris after Hamas attacks, seen as an attempt to sow discord in France.
A network of Russian-operated websites called Portal Kombat is accused of spreading false narratives, including claims of French mercenaries serving in Ukraine and Macron canceling a trip to Kyiv due to assassination fears.
Following a terrorist attack near Moscow, French and Russian defense ministers had a rare telephone exchange.
Macron states this was prompted by French intelligence that could assist in identifying the attackers, allegedly affiliated with the Afghan wing of the Islamic State group.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu informed his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, of France’s concerns regarding Russian allegations implicating Kyiv in the Moscow attack, for which France asserts there is no evidence.
But in his account of the phone call, Mr Shoigu said: “The Kyiv regime does nothing without the approval of its western minders. We hope that in the case (of the Crocus City Hall attack) the French secret services are not involved.”
Asked about Mr Shoigu’s remarks on Thursday, Mr Macron said they were “bizarre and menacing … ridiculous.”
For the first time, the president has acknowledged the existence of contingency plans for the Olympics opening ceremony in July, in case the terrorist threat escalates.
As it stands, the ceremony scheduled for July 26 is set to occur on boats in the River Seine, with over 300,000 spectators expected to watch from the quays. However, experts caution that this setup poses a significant vulnerability to terrorist attacks.
“We will be ready,” Mr Macron said. “We are preparing several scenarios. If the threat were to evolve, if we considered that circumstances made it necessary, we have back-up scenarios.”
Mr Macron also lent his support to the popular French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, whose name has been mentioned as a possible performer at the opening ceremony. Critics on the hard-right of French politics say she would not be a good ambassador because the language of her songs is often crude and difficult to understand.
“She speaks to a good number of our fellow citizens and I believe she has every right to be at the opening or closing ceremonies of the Games,” the president said.