Since January 2026, France has been targeted multiple times by sabotage and espionage attempts linked to Russia, including a recent plot to bomb a SNCF rail transformer.

In 2026, French counterintelligence authorities have identified at least three sabotage and espionage attempts on French soil attributed to Russia's continuing hybrid warfare strategy amid its war in Ukraine. One ongoing investigation by the DGSI targets a suspect accused of planning to blow up a SNCF transformer regulating rail traffic, which could have disrupted train operations regionally. The act was reportedly coordinated via Telegram. Two other cases are before courts, and another remains under investigation with administrative channels. This marks a shift for France, which had been relatively spared compared to neighbors like the UK or Germany.