France in January 2026: the most important developments in security
In France in January 2026, the most prominent security development was the deployment of French troops to Greenland. France and Germany sent forces for a joint European military exercise, with France deploying a small detachment and later announcing additional forces.
On foreign and defense policy, the French navy intercepted and boarded an oil tanker in the Mediterranean on 22 January, suspected of belonging to a "shadow fleet" used to get around sanctions on Russian oil. French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, said the vessel was sailing from Russia, and a Russian senator said the detention increases tensions between the two countries. On 28 January another suspected shadow fleet tanker, the Grinch, ran aground in the port of Marseille. Macron said France provides most of Ukraine's military intelligence, and France announced it would deliver power generators and weapons to Ukraine. On 28 January France reversed its position and now supports placing Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations, after Israeli politician Gideon Sa'ar had urged it to do so. France also banned ten British activists from entering the country over their involvement in attacks on migrant boats. Bloomberg reported that France feels uneasy about Germany's military rearmament. On 30 January Niger's military leader accused France, Benin and Côte d'Ivoire of being behind an attack on the country's main airport; France has previously denied involvement.
At home, France's terror alert level remained at its highest, as it has for nearly two years, and the country launched a recruitment campaign for its voluntary military service. Marseille saw a search that found ammunition hidden in housing estate pipes, reports of internal conflict in the DZ Mafia criminal group, and on 30 January a record seizure of 1.3 million contraband cigarettes and a separate shooting involving a Kalashnikov rifle. In Paris, four more people were charged over the kidnapping of an Uzbek banker.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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