French telecoms network hit by vandalism within days of arson attacks against national railways

Telecoms infrastructure was damaged in France, within days of attacks against the country's rail network that disrupted travel for 800,000 people through the weekend, just as the Olympic Games opening ceremony kicked off in Paris.

Normal train service had resumed on the French rail network by Monday — when authorities reported damage to telecoms infrastructure, which caused local power outages and raised the specter of further national disruption.

Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Marina Ferrari said that France's telecoms network was experiencing isolated outages due to damage carried out overnight in several regions.

Fiber optic, fixed telephone and mobile services may face localized issues, with operators working to carry out repairs, Ferrari said on social platform X.

"I condemn in the strongest terms these cowardly and irresponsible actions," she said in a statement, according to a CNBC translation.

It was not immediately clear whether vandalism to the telecoms network was connected to the damage and arson carried out on the rail network last week.

Preempting suspicions, the Kremlin on Monday hit out at any suggestion Russia was involved in the Friday rail attack, with presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling the notion "fake news," state-owned news agency Tass reported.

Speaking to France 2 TV, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin separately said his ministry had identified the profiles of several people in relation to the rail attack, according to a France 24 translation. Darmanin said the "deliberate, very precise" type of action carried out was generally associated with far-left activists — with no mention of a specific campaign or political party — and did not provide evidence for the claim in the interview.

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