Media: Russian spying expected to surge in Norway’s Arctic regions

Russia is expected to intensify its intelligence activities in Norway in 2026, with growing attention on the country’s Arctic mainland and the Svalbard archipelago, Norway’s domestic security service PST told foreign media on February 6.

The agency also warned of an increased risk of sabotage.

Norwegian authorities are particularly concerned that Russian intelligence services could target the country’s energy infrastructure, either through physical attacks or cyber operations. Norway, a close ally of Ukraine, is Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas delivered by pipeline.

In its annual threat assessment, PST said it anticipates a rise in Russian intelligence activity across Norway this year. According to the agency, Moscow will continue focusing on military installations, allied military exercises, Norway’s support for Ukraine, and operations in the High North and the wider Arctic region.

“The northernmost counties and Svalbard are of particular interest and therefore especially exposed to intelligence and influence activities,” PST said.

The security service added that Russia is likely to maintain surveillance along Norway’s rugged coastline and continue mapping critical infrastructure using civilian vessels.

Norway, a NATO member that shares an Arctic border with Russia, closely monitors Russian military movements in the North Atlantic and around the Kola Peninsula. The Kola region hosts Russia’s Northern Fleet and roughly two-thirds of the country’s second-strike nuclear capability — its capacity to respond to a nuclear attack with its own nuclear forces.

PST recalled that last August it attributed a cyberattack on a hydropower dam — which briefly disrupted control of its operations — to hackers linked to Russia, accusing Moscow of becoming an increasingly dangerous threat.

The Russian Embassy in Oslo rejected those claims at the time, calling them “unfounded and politically motivated.”

On Friday, PST reiterated its concerns, stating that Russian intelligence services could see advantages in carrying out sabotage operations in Norway during 2026.

“Russian intelligence may see benefit in carrying out sabotage operations on targets in Norway in 2026,” the agency said.

According to PST, the most likely targets would be property and logistics infrastructure connected to support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. However, the agency warned that civilian infrastructure could also be affected.

The security service also reported that Russian intelligence agencies are increasingly attempting to recruit Ukrainian refugees living in Norway to gather intelligence or carry out acts of sabotage.

Refugees who have family members or property in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine were described as particularly vulnerable to pressure and coercion.

With around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees currently in Norway, PST said these recruitment efforts represent “a major challenge.”

The warning comes amid a broader wave of arson attacks, sabotage incidents, and cyber operations reported in Poland and other European countries since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

By Tamilla Hasanova