French authorities reported arson attacks that targeted rail infrastructure hours before the Games opening ceremony
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed reports about Russia’s alleged involvement in recent attacks on infrastructure in France during the Olympics, describing such claims as “unsubstantiated accusations” and “fakes”.
France’s high-speed train network was targeted early Friday by several “coordinated” arson attacks, according to the country’s transport minister. The sabotage paralyzed travel on the high-speed rail ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony.
“Low-quality media outlets, and even respected ones, have recently stopped at nothing to literally blame Russia for everything that is happening,” Peskov said, dismissing the accusations aimed at Moscow as “unsubstantiated fakes.”
He added that such reports without evidence do nothing for the reputation of the media outlets as supposedly “reliable sources of information.”
On Monday, French authorities also reported that a number of fiber optic networks have been sabotaged across the country.
Last week, France’s minister of the interior said officials thwarted four credible planned attacks for the Olympics, including one that was allegedly tied to a Russian national.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, a 40-year-old Russian man was taken into custody three days before the opening of the Games. The incident raised fears of his alleged “intention to organize events likely to cause destabilization during the Olympic Games,” the office told NBC news.
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