Russia ramps up cyberattacks targeting Europe's infrastructure, Sweden says
Photo: Russia targets the EU’s cyberspace (Getty Images)
Russian intelligence services have changed their tactics and are now attempting to cause physical damage to European infrastructure through destructive cyberattacks, stated Sweden’s Civil Defense Minister, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, Bloomberg reports.
Russia’s hackers change tactics
According to the Swedish minister, Russia’s methods have changed significantly over the past year. While pro-Russian groups previously focused on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to overload websites, they are now targeting the destruction of facilities.
"Pro-Russian groups that once carried out denial-of-service attacks are now attempting destructive cyber attacks against organizations in Europe," Bohlin said.
He added that such behavior can lead to catastrophic consequences for society.
Attacks on Europe’s energy systems
European officials have expressed concern over the vulnerability of power plants and water treatment facilities.
In particular, in spring 2025, a group linked to Russian intelligence attempted to attack a thermal power plant in western Sweden, but security systems managed to block the threat.
Similar attempts at interference have been recorded in Norway and Denmark.
Hybrid warfare
As the outlet notes, Russia is actively using cyber tools against countries that support Ukraine.
Poland, the Nordic countries, and Denmark remain key targets due to their clear stance against Russian aggression.
"Taken together, this points to a change toward riskier and more reckless behavior," Bohlin added.
Russian cyberattacks
Recently, the activity of pro-Kremlin and allied hacker groups worldwide has increased significantly. In particular, in March, it became known that Russian hackers had launched a large-scale operation on messaging apps Signal and WhatsApp, attempting to hack accounts of military personnel and officials.
In addition, last month, the Netherlands’ Ministry of Finance was hit by a cyberattack. Hackers managed to disrupt part of the systems supporting the agency’s core operations.
Another high-profile incident occurred in the United States, where attackers breached the personal email account of FBI Director Kash Patel. US authorities have offered a multimillion-dollar reward for information on those behind the attack, believed to be Iranian hackers.
