Norway expects increase in Russian espionage amid support for Ukraine - Reuters
The Norwegian Internal Security Service (PST) believes that in 2026, Russia will intensify its intelligence activities in Norway, focusing on the Arctic regions and the Svalbard archipelago.
This was reported by Reuters, writes Censor.NET.
The agency stated that it is increasingly concerned about possible attempts by Russian intelligence services to target Norway's energy infrastructure, both physically and through cyberattacks.
"We expect Russian intelligence services to intensify their activities in Norway in 2026, continuing to focus on military targets and allied exercises, Norway's support for Ukraine, and operations in the High North and Arctic region," PST said.
According to the service, Russia is particularly interested in Norway's northernmost districts and the Svalbard archipelago. Also, according to PST estimates, Moscow is likely to continue surveillance along the Norwegian coast and mapping critical infrastructure using civilian vessels.
Target - objects related to supporting Ukraine
The service does not rule out sabotage operations. "Russian intelligence may see benefits in conducting sabotage operations against targets in Norway in 2026," the PST said.
The most likely targets are real estate and logistics infrastructure related to supporting Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, but civilian infrastructure may also be at risk.
Recruitment of Ukrainians in Norway
Separately, PST drew attention to the fact that Russian special services are increasingly trying to recruit Ukrainian refugees in Norway to gather intelligence or carry out sabotage. Given that there are about 100,000 Ukrainian refugees in the country, such attempts pose a "serious challenge."
