Norway warns of rising Russian espionage targeting energy sector
Photo: Norway warns of increased Russian espionage (Getty Images)
Norway's internal security service PST has warned that Russia will intensify its espionage activities this year, focusing on the Arctic part of the country's mainland and the Svalbard archipelago, Reuters reports.
The Norwegian Internal Security Service is increasingly concerned that Russian special services may target Norway's energy infrastructure, both physically and through cyberattacks.
"We expect Russian intelligence services to increase their activity in Norway in 2026, with a continued focus on military targets and allied exercises, Norway's support for Ukraine, and operations in the High North and the Arctic region," the PST says.
The northernmost counties and Svalbard are of particular interest to Russia.
Russia is likely to continue surveillance along the Norwegian coast and mapping its critical infrastructure using civilian vessels.
"Russian intelligence may see benefit in carrying out sabotage operations on targets in Norway in 2026," the Norwegian Internal Security Service says.
The most likely targets are real estate and logistics infrastructure related to support for Ukraine against Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, but civilian infrastructure could also be affected.
In addition, Russian services are increasingly trying to recruit Ukrainian refugees in Norway to gather intelligence or carry out sabotage.
Reuters notes that with approximately 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in Norway, such recruitment attempts pose a serious challenge.
Russian spies in Europe
In Brussels, law enforcement officers detained a local police officer suspected of spying for China and, possibly, Russia.
According to available information, he had access to the international diplomatic community in the Belgian capital, which allowed him to obtain sensitive information. The unit in which the officer served was responsible for the security of areas near European Union institutions.
Earlier, there were also reports of Russia recruiting teenagers in the Netherlands. Police detained two 17-year-old boys suspected of gathering intelligence in The Hague on behalf of a pro-Russian hacker.
In Latvia, at least three people were detained in connection with the group “Antifascists of the Baltic States,” which created a network of informants to pass on data about military equipment, Ukrainians, and supporters of Ukraine in the country to Russian special services.
