Paris and Moscow are waging an “information war”

This Friday, March 22, Emmanuel Macron denounced in Brussels the “

 indignity

 ” of recent comments by Russian leaders against France. An allusion to recent remarks by the vice-president of the Duma, Pyotr Tolstoy, who notably promised death to any French soldier who ventured onto Ukrainian soil and attacked the homosexuality of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. Emmanuel Macron's remark illustrates the new presidential strategy which now consists of responding to any aggressiveness from Moscow towards Paris.

French President Emmanuel Macron during a press conference in Brussels, March 22, 2024. © AFP/Sameer Al-Doumy

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In this informational war, almost anything is allowed. Since the end of February, when

the French head of state announced that he would not rule out sending troops to Ukraine

, the verbal escalation has been spectacular. Emmanuel Macron is described as a “ 

coward

 ” by Dmitri Medvedev, number 2 of the security council, who threatens “

the gallinaceous people of the French government with being cut into pieces

 ” in the event of sending troops to

Ukraine

– renamed “Neo-Naziland”.

Manipulations

“ 

France is governed in part by perverts

 ,” says Piotr Tolstoy, vice-president of the Russian Parliament, in an implicit reference to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. Emmanuel Macron suffers from the “Napoleon complex”... The tone is mocking, particularly after the publication of an official photo of the president practicing boxing. Beyond the rhetoric, Moscow is also increasing its manipulations.

French diplomacy denounces the exploitation and lies of the Kremlin regime. Finally, the information war is waged via pro-Trump networks which relay all the aggressive remarks coming from Moscow or through large-scale hacker attacks. A real “cyberguerrilla” which targets public infrastructures and industrial defense groups.

Also read: Emmanuel Macron reaffirms that “operations on the ground” may be necessary in Ukraine

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