7 EU intelligence agencies warn about risk of Russian sabotage at Norwegian energy facilities

Representatives of the security services of seven European countries have warned of the threat of Russian sabotage at energy facilities in Norway, which is now Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas.

The Norwegian counterintelligence service PST organized a closed meeting where representatives from Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland discussed the new risks of espionage and sabotage by Russia, Reuters reported.

The head of Norwegian counterintelligence, Beate Gangas, emphasized that Russia is a key threat to Norway’s energy sector: “When we talk about sabotage today, we think about Russia.”

Russia is recruiting Norwegian criminals for sabotage – investigation

This warning follows an August investigation that revealed that Russian intelligence could be recruiting Norwegian criminals to commit sabotage. Beate Gangas, director of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), said in mid-August:

“Russian intelligence hires criminals to carry out sabotage. We know from other countries’ services that arms shipments to Ukraine are particularly vulnerable. In Norway, we are particularly vigilant regarding the energy sector.”

She added that “Russian intelligence recruits them online. Also, those who receive and execute tasks may not know the client personally.”

Norwegian intelligence exposed Russian saboteurs

Earlier, Norwegian intelligence services exposed a vast operations of Russian spies and saboteurs.

Since late spring 2024, PST has been conducting continuous investigations. At that time, PST discovered that Russian intelligence agents were operating in Western Norway and that Russia was preparing sabotage against critical infrastructure.

At that time, Russia’s focus was on the county of Western Norway, where the Haakonsvern naval base is located, as well as important oil and gas facilities such as Mongstad, Kolsnes, and Sture, and power plants and other facilities related to electricity supply. 

The PST exposed several Russian agents, and the Norwegian government expelled more than 15 employees of the Russian Embassy in Norway on suspicion of intelligence activities.

The latest investigations and sabotage in Norway and Germany indicate that Russia is not stopping for a day in its attempt to disrupt the EU’s energy and industrial infrastructure. To prevent sabotage, joint actions by EU law enforcement services are required.