Russia is preparing sabotage against Denmark’s defence industry, according to the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (Politiets Efterretningstjeneste, PET), which says Russian state security services are actively identifying and preparing possible operations against companies in the sector.
Emil Græsholm, PET’s Head of Counterintelligence, told Danish newspaper Berlingske that the preparations have become sufficiently concrete for the intelligence service to issue a public warning. He specifically mentioned arson as one possible form of attack, according to reports by Ritzau and Sveriges Radio.
“It is such a concrete identification and preparation that we consider it necessary to make public that this is a threat that must be taken seriously,” Græsholm said.
PET has not publicly identified individual companies as targets or said that a specific attack is imminent.
Russian sabotage plans are becoming more concrete
The warning marks a more specific assessment than PET’s previous statements about the broader threat from Russian hybrid activities.
The intelligence service already considers the threat of physical sabotage in Denmark to be elevated, saying Russia has shown an increased willingness to use hybrid methods against European countries. PET defines these activities as part of a broader strategy that can include sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and other covert measures.
According to PET, Russian intelligence services routinely collect information about critical infrastructure in Western countries, including Denmark. The agency has also assessed that Moscow is likely to have plans that could be activated if confrontation with Western countries escalates.
Until now, however, PET has said it was not aware of specific cases of Russian physical sabotage carried out in Denmark. The latest assessment concerning the defence industry therefore goes further by describing active preparations directed at a particular sector.
Defence companies are closely linked to support for Ukraine
The focus on defence manufacturers also fits a wider pattern identified by European security services since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
PET has said that one purpose of Russian sabotage activities in Europe is to disrupt supplies to Ukraine and create uncertainty about the consequences of continued Western military support. Previous incidents investigated elsewhere in Europe have included fires, attempted arson and attacks against facilities connected directly or indirectly with Ukraine.
The warning comes as European authorities are paying increasing attention to suspected Russian hybrid operations. Germany, for example, has recently accused Russia of involvement in an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport and is investigating further suspected sabotage against energy infrastructure.
Russia has repeatedly denied Western accusations that it conducts sabotage operations in Europe.
Denmark faces a broader hybrid threat from Russia
The latest PET warning does not mean that an attack against a Danish defence company is considered imminent. It does indicate, however, that the Danish intelligence service believes Russian preparations have progressed beyond a general capability or hypothetical scenario.
That distinction is important for Denmark, whose military and defence industry have become increasingly connected to European efforts to support Ukraine and strengthen NATO’s capabilities.
For Danish authorities and companies, the challenge will therefore be to protect industrial facilities and supply chains while distinguishing credible security threats from accidents or unrelated criminal activity. PET has itself warned that sabotage operations can be deliberately designed to resemble ordinary incidents, making attribution difficult.
The Danish assessment is part of a wider security challenge across the Nordic and Baltic region, where governments are increasingly treating sabotage, surveillance, cyber operations and attacks on critical infrastructure as interconnected elements of the Russian hybrid threat in Europe.
