Politicians in France have been warned by a security chief that their country is particularly vulnerable to Russian spy infiltration.
Nicolas Lerner, the head of France’s General Directorate of Homeland Security, has told lawmakers that the country is particularly vulnerable when it comes to infiltration efforts from Russian spies.
The security expert also warned of Chinese infiltration efforts, though emphasised that he believed the country’s intelligence wing to be less developed than that helmed by Moscow.
According to a report by Euractiv, Lerner debriefed members of the French parliament on the issue of foreign spying in February, with details of the meeting only being made public this week.
Russian infiltration of French society was at the top of the list of Lerner’s concerns, with the expert expressing concern that the country could be giving their agents diplomatic status to aid in their efforts in France, which he describes as being particularly vulnerable due to its geopolitical significance.
He claimed that his agency had detected a number of instances of French parliamentarians being in contact with suspected foreign spies posing as diplomats, with the security chief emphasising that it has been common in the past for such agents to gain access to “high-profile” politicians who often do not know they are interacting with an intelligence operative.
Such a method of infiltration is said to be a favourite of the Russians, though Lerner emphasised that other powers were engaging in the practice as well.
“China […] maintains a network under diplomatic cover that is much less developed than that of Russia,” he said.
The debriefing comes at a time of near-peak hysteria regarding Russian influence in Western politics, with mainstream politicians in Europe and America frequently accusing their political and media opponents of secretly having shady Russian connections.
Lerner appeared to throw some cold water on such suggestions during February’s debriefing, however, saying that, in France, it did not appear that any party was being manipulated by Russian assets.
Yet, he did repeat a common warning about “disinformation” arising from both Russia and China, with the expert claiming that both powers are looking to sow misinfo in the hopes of ultimately discrediting France on the world stage.
The spymaster also alleged that the banning of various Russian media outlets in Europe after the country invaded Ukraine was “necessary”, advocating for such censorship powers to be kept available for use by governments in the future.
Lerner’s concerns regarding spies posing as diplomats also appear to be shared by intelligence officials in other European nations, with both Norway and Sweden recently expelling Russian embassy staff over fears they were actually spies.
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