France Warns of Russian Interference After Pig Heads, Anti-Semitic Graffiti
French authorities have sounded the alarm over potential Russian interference in the country's internal affairs. Recent incidents, including the placement of pig heads at Muslim sites and anti-Semitic graffiti, have raised concerns about a concerted effort to amplify divisions in French society.
French intelligence suspects the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency, of orchestrating these acts. Unit 29155, a GRU subdivision, is believed to have sparked these incidents, which saw nine such occurrences across Paris and its suburbs on September 9. The GRU has a history of such activities, aiming to ignite tensions in Western democracies.
Serbian police have arrested 11 Serbian nationals suspected of carrying out these acts in France and Germany. Intelligence suggests a Serbian intermediary recruited these individuals, acting on behalf of the GRU. Meanwhile, France believes Russia's security service, the FSB, was behind the spray painting of 60 Star of David graffiti in Paris earlier this year.
France has opened an investigation into these incidents, with authorities treating them as potential acts of 'public incitement to hatred or violence'. The country's police forces have been urged to remain vigilant for further signs of Russian 'subversion'. The GLOBSEC report highlights the threat of Russia's hybrid warfare tactics, using disinformation and provocateurs to manipulate public opinion and fan the flames of division in the West.
