France sounds alarm over Russian activity in space and underwater
France’s top military official has issued a stark warning about Russia’s growing activities in space and under the sea, calling them “extremely worrying” and labeling Moscow a “lasting threat.”
At his first press conference since 2021, Chief of the Defense Staff Thierry Burkhard said Russian submarines regularly move through the North Atlantic and Mediterranean, monitoring strategic areas of concern to France, News.Az reports, citing Politico.
He also accused Russian satellites of spying on or interfering with French assets, citing signs of a broader push to militarize space — in violation of international agreements.
Burkhard’s comments come ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s upcoming defense speech, expected to include key policy announcements. While stopping short of explicitly calling for more funding, the general acknowledged that confronting modern threats “probably comes at a cost.”
France plans to raise its defense budget from €50.5 billion this year to €67.4 billion by 2030, amid rising global tensions, including ongoing instability in the Middle East and what Burkhard described as an international normalization of violence.
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