By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
COPENHAGEN, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Russia has attempted acts of sabotage against Danish companies supplying Ukraine after concluding that broader disruption efforts failed to curb Western military support for the country, a Danish intelligence official said on Wednesday.
The shift reflects a significant escalation in Moscow's hybrid warfare campaign, the official, from the Danish national security and intelligence service (PET), told a homeland security conference in Copenhagen.
"What we saw in the spring was a lot of planning, but very little carried out; what we saw in early summer is that they started to carry out a lot more," the official said, referring to the situation across Europe.
Denmark's defence intelligence service last month said Russia is likely to intensify hybrid attacks against the West in coming months, after Germany blamed Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport in August.
”If we zoom in a little bit on Denmark, what we're seeing, and the reason we came out with our public statements a few weeks back, is that we're now also seeing that there is active planning and they're trying to carry out sabotage in Denmark,” the official said.
The official did not elaborate on the nature of the sabotage or whether any attempts had been averted.
Russia concluded that its previous broad-spectrum targeting "did not have the effect of deterring the Western (military alliance) NATO from supporting Ukraine," the official added, and while Moscow maintains political control over operations, its operational boldness is growing and Russia is now "trying to hit targets that have a direct impact on the front line. That means weapons production."
Moscow has repeatedly denied involvement in sabotage or hybrid warfare operations. The Russian embassy in Copenhagen rejected the allegations on Wednesday, accusing Danish authorities of making unfounded accusations against Russia.
The official cited a Russian defence ministry list of alleged European drone and drone component manufacturers that Moscow said in April amounted to potential military targets, without elaborating further.
Russia is increasingly using untrained proxies — including homeless people and people addicted to drugs — recruited via Telegram and other social media platforms. Recruitment typically starts with low-threshold tasks such as reconnaissance or photography, then escalates toward actual sabotage operations, PET has said.
"It could be anyone just looking for quick money," the official said. "If the first person isn't successful, they'll throw another one at the problem until they succeed."
In September 2025, before Denmark hosted an EU summit, drones disrupted air traffic at six Danish airports, including Copenhagen, the Nordic region's busiest, in what Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called a hybrid attack on her nation.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Philippa Fletcher, Edmund Klamann and Jon Boyle)
