Denmark says Russia has moved from planning to executing sabotage against Danish arms suppliers to Ukraine
Denmark's intelligence service PET says Russia has begun sabotage operations against Danish companies supplying Ukraine, after broader efforts to deter Western support failed, according to analyst Josefine Christensen. PET says Moscow is recruiting untrained individuals via social media and gaming platforms, and is now targeting weapons production. The Russian embassy in Copenhagen rejected the claims as unfounded.
Bottom line — PET says Russian recruits are now targeting weapons production that feeds the front line in Ukraine, with planning shifting into action since early summer.
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Christensen told Reuters that Russia planned many operations in spring but carried out very little, while in early summer it began carrying out considerably more, according to the Kyiv Independent.
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PET says recruits are often tasked first with photographing sites or infrastructure before being offered sabotage work, and that many may not know who they are working for, per Reuters.
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Kyiv Post reports that Christensen described recruits as potentially anyone seeking quick money, adding that handlers would try another person if the first failed.
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Christensen cited an April list from Russia's Defence Ministry naming European drone and drone-component manufacturers, which Moscow reportedly called potential military targets, according to Yahoo News citing Ukrainska Pravda.
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Denmark's military intelligence service DDIS warned in September that Russia could intensify hybrid activity, including destructive cyber operations and sabotage with a significant risk of casualties, per the Kyiv Independent.
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PET's Emil Gresholm told Berlingske and Reuters that Danish citizens were recruited on social media and gaming platforms, and that it is extremely serious if Danes help Russian intelligence, deliberately or unwittingly.
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Russian ambassador Vladimir Barbin told Reuters that Gresholm had provided no concrete evidence, and argued that Copenhagen's involvement in the Ukraine conflict creates security risks for Denmark.
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Kyiv Post notes that in September 2025 drones disrupted air traffic at six Danish airports, which Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called a hybrid attack.
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SpyWitness News reports, without citing a primary source, that a fire at a Polish drone plant was confirmed by prosecutors as arson, though this claim is not corroborated by the other articles provided.