Dutch Intelligence: Russia intensifies hybrid attacks against Europe

Russia is stepping up its hybrid attacks aimed at undermining society in the Netherlands and its European allies, and Russian hackers have already targeted the Dutch civil service.

The discovery was announced on April 22 by the Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD, Reuters reported.

MIVD Director Peter Risink said in the agency’s annual report that the agency has recorded an increase in the Russian threat in Europe, including “after the possible end of the war against Ukraine.”

“The conflict in the gray zone between war and peace has become a reality. More and more state actors are trying to undermine our society through hybrid attacks. Russia is increasingly willing to take risks,” he emphasized.

The Dutch Ministry of the Interior said that it first detected an attack by Russian hackers on the digital operating system of the civil service last year.

It also reported that it had detected a Russian cyber operation against critical infrastructure in the Netherlands, possibly in preparation for sabotage.

The Dutch Interior Ministry described such attacks as a combination of traditional acts of espionage with cyberattacks and other attempts to influence and undermine society.

The ministry reiterated its warnings about the espionage activities of Russian structures that map infrastructure in the North Sea, as well as acts of sabotage aimed at Internet cables and water and energy supplies.

Earlier, the Netherlands stated that Russia could have made more than 30 attempts at sabotage, vandalism, or external interference during 2024.

At the same time, the Netherlands is considering vetting thousands of new foreign scientists who come to research at local universities, fearing that spies may be sent among them.