PARIS (AP) — The French government accused a hacking group linked to Russian military intelligence of cyberattacks over three years, targeting the Paris Olympics, French government agencies and companies.
A report released Tuesday by France’s cybersecurity agency, ANSSI, outlined cyber incidents from 2021 through 2024, which it attributes to a group called APT28, also known as Fancy Bear. The report said the hacking aimed to collect intelligence, notably in the context of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
France is among Ukraine’s most vocal backers, and its government is working to ensure that an eventual US-brokered peace deal doesn’t further embolden Russia and threaten Europe’s security.
The French Foreign Ministry said the hacking was linked to the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, and targeted French entities including a ″sports organization linked to the planning of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.″ It didn’t identify the organization or detail the impact of the cyber-meddling.
The cybersecurity agency said other targets included those involved in aerospace, finance, national government ministries and local governments. It didn't name them.
More than a dozen reports in 2023 and 2024 pointed to an intensifying effort from Russia to undermine France through disinformation campaigns, particularly the Paris Olympics. Russian athletes' participation in the Olympics has been curtailed for years because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and state-sponsored doping.
The Russian Embassy in France and the Kremlin have denied any interference in the Paris Olympics.
Responding to the French announcement Monday, Google Threat Intelligence Group chief analyst John Holquist said in a statement that "targeting of the Games by the GRU was heavily anticipated ... Even though the games are a potent symbol of international cooperation, they are still the target of malicious intelligence operations.”
APT28 and the GRU have also been linked to global cyber intrusions, including in the 2016 US election, where they were accused of aiding Donald Trump by leaking Democratic Party emails.
The French Foreign Ministry named a specific GRU unit, Unit 20728, as being behind the 2021-2024 cyberattacks. The cybersecurity agency report also mentions unspecified attacks on entities in Ukraine, elsewhere in Europe and North America.
“These destabilizing activities are unacceptable and unworthy of a permanent member of the UN Security Council,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Alongside its partners, France is determined to use all the means at its disposal to anticipate, discourage and react to Russia’s malicious behavior in cyberspace.”
Associated Press writer Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this report.
FILE - People use their smartphones near the Olympic rings that are displayed on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, June 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.
Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.
On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.
It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.
The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.
Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.
The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.
Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.
Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.
Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.
The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.
Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.
Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.
President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
