The Norweigan police agency has predicted an increase in Russian spy activity targeted at the country’s energy sector.
The police agency in Norway, the PST, believes this increase comes from a need for information becoming greater due to the “deteriorating relations between Norway and Russia.”
Norwegian politics is also a potential target as well as the country’s armed forces, the PST National Threat Assessment 2023 outlines.
The authorities write: “as Norway is a member of NATO, Norwegian and Allied activities and their presence in Norway will inevitably be important intelligence targets for Russia.”
Norwegian politics is also a potential target as well as the country’s armed forces, the PST National Threat Assessment 2023 outlines.
The authorities write: “as Norway is a member of NATO, Norwegian and Allied activities and their presence in Norway will inevitably be important intelligence targets for Russia.”
On the energy front, hydrocarbons and renewables are at risk of future intelligence-gathering operations, Norway’s police predict.
“Russia will try to gather intelligence about most aspects of Norway’s oil, gas and energy sector,” writes the PST.
However, these efforts will more than likely be intelligence-gathering exercises as the PST believes “It is unlikely that Russia will carry out an act of sabotage on Norwegian territory in 2023.”
The Norwegian authorities point to Russia’s “ambitions to exert pressure on European energy security” since its invasion of Ukraine as a reason to believe that the country would turn to espionage.
In October last year Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store, called for support from NATO navies as fears around drone sightings near offshore platforms grew.
This news arrived as reports of the Norwegian armed forces raising readiness to protect energy links surfaced.
At the time Mr Store said: “The increased tension means that we are more exposed to threats, intelligence and influence.”
“That makes it necessary for all NATO countries to be more vigilant, including Norway,” he said, adding that there are “no indications that Russia will expand its warfare to other countries.”
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