Denmark's intelligence service says Russia has launched sabotage operations against Danish firms supplying Ukraine
Denmark's PET intelligence service publicly stated that Russia has begun sabotage operations targeting Danish companies that supply goods to Ukraine. Leading PET analyst Josefine Christensen announced the assessment at a domestic security conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday, 7 October, describing it as a significant escalation of Moscow's hybrid warfare campaign. PET observed much planning but little action in spring, followed by a noticeable increase in executed operations in early summer.
Key points
- Denmark's PET said Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying goods to Ukraine.
- Leading PET analyst Josefine Christensen made the statement at a domestic security conference in Copenhagen on 7 October 2026.
- PET observed much planning but little action in spring, followed by a noticeable increase in executed operations in early summer.
- Russia concluded that its previous large-scale attacks had no deterrent effect on NATO countries' support for Ukraine, according to PET.
- Russia is increasingly recruiting unprepared intermediaries — including homeless people and drug addicts — via Telegram and other social media, starting with simple tasks like reconnaissance before escalating to sabotage.
- Moscow maintains political control over the operations but operational boldness is growing, PET said.
- The assessment follows similar findings from Estonia, Germany and Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate about sabotage preparations across Europe.
Why it matters
A NATO member state has officially attributed a new wave of sabotage on its own soil to Russia, framing it as an escalation of hybrid warfare. The stated targets are companies that supply Ukraine, directly tying European infrastructure security to the war. PET also reports that Russia is lowering the threshold for sabotage by recruiting vulnerable, untrained intermediaries through social media, which makes disruption cheaper and harder to deter. The Danish assessment lines up with similar findings from Germany, Estonia and Ukraine's own intelligence service, suggesting a coordinated pattern of Russian-linked sabotage across Europe.
What happened
At a domestic security conference in Copenhagen on 7 October 2026, leading PET analyst Josefine Christensen said that Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying goods to Ukraine. She described the shift as a significant escalation of Moscow's hybrid warfare campaign and reported that PET observed much planning but little action in spring, followed by a noticeable increase in executed operations in early summer. According to Christensen, Russia concluded that its previous large-scale attacks had no deterrent effect on NATO countries' support for Ukraine. PET said Moscow keeps political control over the operations while operational boldness on the ground is growing. Russia is now trying to hit assets with a direct impact on the front line, including weapons production. PET also said Russia is increasingly using unprepared intermediaries — including homeless people and drug addicts — recruited through Telegram and other social media. Recruitment begins with reconnaissance and photographing tasks and then escalates into actual sabotage. Christensen added that anyone looking for quick money can be drawn in, and if one person fails, Russian organizers send another until the task is completed. The Danish assessment coincides with parallel findings from other European services: Estonian security police determined that the arson of the Milrem Robotics defense firm in Tallinn on the night of 15 August was a Russian-ordered sabotage act, Germany has accused Russia of attempting a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport, and Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate warned EU and NATO members in early October about preparations for Russian sabotage on their territory.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian outlets framed the Danish assessment through the lens of Ukraine's own defense supply chain, emphasizing that the stated Russian targets are Danish companies supplying goods to Ukraine. The reporting foregrounds Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, which warned EU and NATO members in early October about preparations for Russian sabotage on their territory, presenting Ukraine as an active contributor of intelligence to its partners rather than only a recipient. By centering the link between Danish firms and Ukrainian supplies, the Ukrainian coverage highlights how Russian sabotage abroad is aimed at undercutting the country's defense logistics, not merely at pressuring European governments in the abstract.
Background
Danish intelligence observed much planning in spring 2026 but little action, followed by a notable rise in executed operations in early summer. Russia is said to have concluded that large-scale strikes on Ukrainian logistics routes failed to deter NATO countries from supporting Ukraine, and has therefore widened the target set to Europe. In August, Estonian security police determined that the arson at the Milrem Robotics defense firm in Tallinn on the night of 15 August was a Russian-ordered sabotage act. Germany has accused Russia of attempting a drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport. In September 2025, drone sightings disrupted operations at six Danish airports, including Copenhagen, which Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called a hybrid attack. NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, said on 24 September that the Alliance is boosting intelligence-sharing in response to a series of likely Russia-linked incidents. Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate warned EU and NATO members in early October about preparations for Russian sabotage operations on their territory.