Russia has started carrying out sabotage against Danish companies that supply weapons to Ukraine, a Danish intelligence official said Wednesday, describing a sharp escalation in what Western governments call Moscow's hybrid war. The analyst, from Denmark's national security and intelligence service, known as PET, spoke at a homeland security conference in Copenhagen, Reuters reported.
From plans to action
According to the analyst, Russia did a great deal of planning in the spring but followed through on little of it. That changed in early summer, when far more operations were actually carried out. The official said Moscow had concluded that its earlier, scattershot disruption campaign "did not have the effect" of stopping NATO countries from backing Ukraine. Now, the official said, Russia is going after targets with a direct effect on the battlefield, meaning weapons production.
The official pointed to a list Russia's Defense Ministry published in April naming European makers of drones and drone parts, which Moscow said could be treated as military targets. The official did not name any Danish companies that had been hit or describe specific incidents.
Recruits for hire
PET has said Russia increasingly relies on untrained proxies, including homeless people and people struggling with drug addiction, who are recruited through Telegram and other social media apps. The pattern usually starts with small jobs, such as scouting or taking photos of a site, and builds toward actual sabotage. The analyst said it could be anyone looking for quick money, and that if one recruit fails, another is sent until the job gets done.
Russia has repeatedly denied any role in sabotage or hybrid attacks in Europe. Its embassy in Copenhagen rejected Wednesday's statements as unfounded.
A wider warning
The remarks build on earlier warnings. Last month, Denmark's military intelligence agency said Russia was likely to step up hybrid attacks on Western countries in the coming months. Its threat assessment said those could include destructive cyberattacks that disable critical services and sabotage with a high risk of casualties. It also cited a September incident in which a Russian frigate fired flares at a Danish military helicopter off the town of Gedser. Germany has blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport in August.
Denmark has been on alert since September 2025, when drones disrupted flights at six Danish airports, including Copenhagen, ahead of an EU summit. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called that episode a hybrid attack on her country.