Norway reiterates growing risk of sabotage by Russia

"The risk level has changed. We believe sabotage is more likely, and we see acts of sabotage happening in Europe now which indicate that they (the Russians) have moved a bit on that scale," Stensønes said in an interview with Reuters during an energy conference in Stavanger.

The agency notes that Norway, the largest gas supplier to Europe and a significant oil exporter, is under constant threat due to the increased risk of Russian sabotage. While Stensønes did not provide specific details about these threats, he emphasized that Russia, having become a "pariah state," is willing to take more risky actions, though it tries to avoid confrontation with NATO.

Journalists noted that Russia continues to reject such accusations, calling them "Western scaremongering."

Russian sabotage in Norway

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the activity of Russian intelligence services in the EU has increased. Russians have begun threatening the critical infrastructure of EU member states, particularly in the energy sector.

It is known that Norwegian intelligence services have repeatedly reported suspicious activities by Russia. Russian spies have been gathering intelligence and attempting to carry out sabotage at oil and gas facilities.

Norwegian officials consistently warn of the high risk of Russian sabotage, which could lead to serious consequences for energy supplies in Europe.

The September 2022 explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipelines was one example of Russian sabotage in Europe. Although these events did not directly affect Norway, the situation significantly heightened concerns about security at similar facilities. Norwegian intelligence services were involved in investigating the incident.

Norwegian counterintelligence had previously warned of the risk of Russian sabotage at its energy facilities.

Earlier, it was reported that Norway had increased its defense spending due to the constant threat from Russia.