The Kremlin on Monday dismissed speculation in the Western press that Russia was involved in a series of attacks on the French railway system, accusing the Western media of constantly trying to wrongly blame Moscow for all the problems, The Moscow Times reported.
Unknown saboteurs carried out a series of attacks on France’s rail network on Friday morning, wreaking havoc on the transport system and exposing security gaps just hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Saturday that he could not rule out foreign intervention in the attack, which sabotaged signal stations and cables on the high-speed train (TGV) network. Some Western publications blamed Russia, while others suggested that left-wing activists were most likely to blame.
Asked about speculation in the press about Russian involvement in the attacks, Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov told reporters: “These are just another falsification – more baseless accusations.”
“The truth is that there are many such publications of low quality, and even some respectable publications have not hesitated to blame Russia for everything that is happening,” Peskov said.
“This does not help their image as reliable sources of information,” added a spokesman for the Russian president.
On Sunday, NBC News reported that acts of sabotage on France’s high-speed train network before the opening ceremony indicated a wide range of threats to Olympic security, including a “Russian-backed campaign of sabotage.”
Dmytro Peskov characterized this article, without specifically mentioning NBC News, as “another falsification and baseless accusation.”
French authorities said the rail network had resumed operations by Monday morning.
Gérald Darmanin said on Monday that France suspects members of radical left groups of organizing sabotage of the railway network.
