France and Germany have summoned Russia's ambassadors over a vast cyber campaign blamed on Moscow's security services, as the European Union and Britain announced coordinated sanctions in response.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Paris will summon the Russian ambassador in the coming days and sanction nine individuals and four entities linked to the operation. The campaign, orchestrated by Russia's FSB domestic intelligence service, targeted ministries, companies and infrastructure operators across at least ten European countries, including France and Germany. Berlin's Foreign Ministry separately called in Russia's envoy to protest.
The EU sanctions target GRU military intelligence officers, cybercriminals and private firms, while Britain sanctioned 24 individuals and organisations. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said an FSB unit has conducted cyber espionage against French government bodies since 2010 and sabotaged critical infrastructure in Poland, including rail and energy systems.