French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Western democracies have long underestimated the scale of threats posed by Russia, stressing that Europe is now in a permanent state of confrontation with Moscow. Speaking on October 1, 2025, in an exclusive interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Macron admitted that Western states failed to grasp the extent of Russia’s influence on public opinion through the spread of disinformation.
Structural dangers for Europe
According to Macron, Russia’s economic weakness, declining population and lack of innovation in its industry do not diminish the danger it poses, as the country is producing weapons at a faster pace than Europe. He described Moscow as “the most significant structural threat to Europeans alongside terrorism,” citing election interference, cyberattacks, the use of migration flows as political leverage, targeted assassinations and changes in Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
Macron emphasized that Europe’s open societies, built on free speech and pluralism, remain highly vulnerable to information warfare. He cautioned that Russian digital networks — what he called a “secret army” of faceless online bots — manipulate democratic processes in France, Germany and across Europe.
Russia’s disinformation strategy
Russian disinformation campaigns, Macron noted, are aimed at undermining EU unity. Kremlin-backed media and hidden affiliates inside Europe seek to amplify extremist voices, polarize societies and erode Western solidarity with Ukraine. These efforts include support for anti-EU politicians, the use of historical falsifications in academia and culture, covert financing of media outlets, and the promotion of pro-Russian bloggers across platforms such as Telegram, YouTube and TikTok.
Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and deepfakes add a new dimension to these campaigns, allowing Moscow to produce convincing fake content at scale. The Ukrainian outlet European Pravda reported that the European Parliament has described Russia’s disinformation operations as “unprecedented in scale” and adopted resolutions calling for systematic countermeasures.
European responses and new strategies
EU responses have gradually evolved from isolated initiatives to systemic strategies. Brussels is developing the “European Shield of Democracy,” a comprehensive program designed to defend against hybrid threats such as disinformation, cyberattacks and election interference. A special European Parliament committee is drafting legislation to counter information attacks, while cooperation with Ukraine — seen as a frontline state in information warfare — is helping shape EU defenses.
Western countermeasures now focus on boosting media literacy, strengthening cybersecurity, promoting truthful counter-narratives, and expanding international cooperation, including sanctions against deceptive media networks. Macron insisted that without recognizing these risks, EU leaders risk naivety in the face of Moscow’s sustained campaign against European democracies.
Russia, Macron concluded, is waging a war not only over territory but also over minds — and Europe’s ability to protect its information space will be central to its collective security.
