Norway's special services exposed the mass work of Russian spies and saboteurs

The special services of Norway exposed the massive work of Russian spies and saboteurs. Photo: The Nordic Page

The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) has discovered Russian intelligence agents in Western Norway, and believes that Russia may be preparing sabotage against critical infrastructure facilities.

The head of the PST in Western Norway, Torgils Loutro, said this in an interview with NRK, reports «Europa Pravda».

The county is home to Northern Europe's largest naval base, Haakonsvern, as well as important oil and gas facilities such as Mongstad, Kolsnes and Sture, and power stations and other power-related facilities.

«We see that some of Russia's intentions may be to prepare acts of sabotage. They operate throughout the area and move around,» Torgils Loutro said.

PST claims to have exposed several Russian agents. Their number is not named.

Torgils Loutro believes that, in addition to personal gain, Russia wants to damage Norway's reputation in front of its allies.

«It is clear that one of Russia's goals is to put us in a bad light. They will try to show that we are not in control of ourselves, or that we cannot help our allies with exports in potential future situations,» he said.

The PST claims that Russian intelligence activities on Norwegian territory have increased since Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022.

«Russian intelligence agents operate against various targets, such as critical and vulnerable infrastructure facilities and military facilities. They also have a clear goal of exposing Norway's contingency plans,» Torgils Loutro said.

Against the background of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Norwegian authorities expelled more than 15 employees of the Russian embassy in Norway on suspicion of intelligence activities. As a result, Russia had to rethink its intelligence tools.

«It is not easy for us to find out who these agents are. They mingle with the crowd, which is also their job. They do not necessarily have Russian citizenship, but they can be motivated to act on behalf of Russia, for example, by money or threats,» explained the head of PST.

It was previously reported that Norway will contribute to the creation of an air defense system in Ukraine.