Norwegian intelligence services indicated on Wednesday that Russia is viewed as “likely” to initiate sabotage attempts against Norway in 2025. These operations might focus on critical energy infrastructure or assistance provided to Ukraine. The announcement underscores the sharp decline in diplomatic relations between Oslo and Moscow following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In her presentation of the annual threat assessment report, Beate Gangas, the head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), acknowledged that while numerous attacks of this nature have been reported across the European Union since the end of 2023, there has been no conclusive evidence of Russian sabotage activities within Norway to date. “However,” she stated, “PST deems likely that Russian intelligence will try to carry out sabotage actions against targets in Norway in 2025.” Gangas elaborated on the potential motives behind these actions, suggesting that they could be aimed at disrupting Norwegian support for Ukraine or attempting to sway public opinion against such aid.
Norway, as a NATO member, shares a 198-kilometre (123-mile) land border with Russia in the Arctic region and also has a maritime border in the Barents Sea. In light of escalating tensions, NATO countries located along the Baltic Sea convened in Helsinki last month to discuss bolstering security measures, especially following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables, which is largely attributed to Russian activity.
Gangas emphasized that Russia is expected to remain the primary security threat to Norway among state actors. The Russian embassy in Oslo has yet to respond to requests for comments regarding these assertions.
In a demonstration of its commitment to Ukraine, Norwegian authorities have set aside 135 billion kroner ($18.8 billion) for civilian and military support over the span from 2023 to 2030. Notably, since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, Norway has emerged as the European Union’s leading natural gas supplier, overtaking Russia in this domain. The PST’s report noted that Norwegian-owned energy infrastructure might also face targeted sabotage efforts in the coming year.
Moreover, the intelligence assessment detailed an increasing risk of espionage activities from various state actors, particularly highlighting concerns regarding China, with expectations that such incidents could rise in the long term, along with threats from Iran and North Korea.
