Russian-linked cybercampaigns put a bull's-eye on France. Their focus? The Olympics and elections [View all]

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https://apnews.com/article/france-election-disinformation-russia-olympics-be18d688677240686df200096018f221

Russian-linked cybercampaigns put a bull's-eye on France. Their focus? The Olympics and elections

BY LORI HINNANT
Updated 1:42 AM EDT, July 4, 2024

PARIS (AP) — Photos of blood-red hands on a Holocaust memorial. Caskets at the Eiffel Tower. A fake French military recruitment drive calling for soldiers in Ukraine, and major French news sites improbably registered in an obscure Pacific territory, population 15,000.

All are part of disinformation campaigns orchestrated out of Russia and targeting France, according to French officials and cybersecurity experts in Europe and the United States. France’s legislative elections and the Paris Olympics sent them into overdrive.

More than a dozen reports issued in the past year point to an intensifying effort from Russia to undermine France, particularly the upcoming Games, and President Emmanuel Macron, who is one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters in Europe.

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This story, supported by the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, is part of an Associated Press series covering threats to democracy in Europe.
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