In recent months, Russia has been trying to gather intelligence with a view to sabotaging critical infrastructure in the Dutch part of the North Sea. This was stated by General Jan Swillens, the head of the Dutch response to the Defence Intelligence Service, MIVD, at a press conference on Monday, according to Reuters.
A Russian ship has been discovered, among other things, close to a Dutch offshore wind farm. The ship was subsequently escorted out of the North Sea by ships from the Dutch navy and coast guard before any sabotage activity was carried out, according to the general.
- In recent months, we have seen how Russian actors have tried to get an overview of how the energy system works in the North Sea. This is the first time we have seen it, said Jan Swillens.
- Russia is mapping how our wind farms in the North Sea work. The Russians are very interested in how they can sabotage energy infrastructure.
On Monday, the MIVD, together with the other Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, published a report accusing Russia of being behind "sabotage activities" against critical offshore infrastructure such as internet cables, gas pipelines and wind farms.
- Russia is secretly mapping this infrastructure and is behind activities that indicate preparations for disruption and sabotage, the report says.
Russia also in the spotlight for Nord Stream sabotage
It is unclear whether Russia has actually succeeded in carrying out sabotage. Russia has been accused of being behind explosions on the important Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, which run in the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. The explosions took place near Bornholm on September 26 last year.
Several countries are investigating the leaks. German investigators said earlier in February that they had found no evidence that Russia was behind the explosions. Russia has also denied this.
In the Netherlands, there are fears that Russia could threaten the country's water and energy supplies. On Saturday, the Netherlands expelled an undisclosed number of Russian diplomats from the country. At the same time, the Netherlands accused Russia of bringing spies to the country under the guise of diplomacy.
/ritzau/Reuters
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
