Russia is running a disinformation campaign to undermine the Paris Olympics, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.
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.”
The French government says Russia has recently stepped up propaganda attacks on France, using fake accounts on social media to spread rumours and disinformation.
It follows Mr Macron’s switch to a more hard-line policy on the Ukraine war, to which he no longer refuses to rule out eventually sending French troops on the side of Kyiv.
Are you sure about that? Putin still has access to nuclear weapons and I feel like if he’s desparate enough he sure as hell will use them. Even if they wouldn’t save his ass, he’ll take as many souls with him as possible. Furthermore, if NATO troops officially side with Ukraine, are we sure China, Iran, India etc. won’t side with Russia accordingly?
Nukes are a concern but if it’s obvious that France is moving by itself I don’t see it as being as likely as if the US got directly involved.
As for backup, yeah no, Iran’s military is basically entirely rigged around how to support Middle Eastern terror tactics, there is no chance in hell India would absolve its waffley neutrality to the extent of sending soldiers to back Russia when Pakistan, a much more populous country that’s much more important to India than Russia and the west ever will be militarily, is right there on its border, and China will move and risk troops that it could instead save for the option to attack Taiwan, especially right now when the island is recovering from an earthquake, when hell freezes over.
Low trust societies such as Russia, China, and Iran are incapable of actually supporting one another in the way a NATO nation intervening to save Ukraine would resemble.
Honestly if France pulled the trigger I’d be more concerned about Putin invading Belarus to force the integration into its own territory there before a maidan style movement could get the chance to take away even more options for the Russians wanting to expand. I’d also expect Poland to join France in an intervention more than I’d expect any of Putin’s allies to declare war on his behalf, except maybe North Korea but they’re weird.