New Delhi: Russia targeted Danish defense companies and supply chains supporting Ukraine, according to Danish national security and intelligence service (PET).
Josefine Christensen, lead analyst at PET, presented the assessment Wednesday at a domestic security conference in Copenhagen.
She said Russia concluded that its earlier, widespread hybrid operations failed to deter NATO from supporting Ukraine and has shifted to direct physical sabotage of companies supplying the Ukrainian war effort.
“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,” Christensen said.
According to the Danish intelligence assessment, Moscow’s earlier strategy “did not have the effect of deterring the Western (military alliance) NATO from supporting Ukraine”.
While Russia retains political oversight of such operations, Christensen said its willingness to take risks is increasing, with Moscow “trying to hit targets that have a direct impact on the front line. That means weapons production”.
PET cited a Russian defence ministry document published 15 April, which explicitly listed European drone and drone-component manufacturers as legitimate military targets. The document contained two lists: one naming Ukrainian companies based in European cities, and another identifying 10 ‘Foreign Enterprises Producing Components’.
Denmark did not disclose the names of the 10 companies for security reasons. However, the Russian document publicly identified their street addresses and building names. PET considers the document a formal “green light” and strategic rationale for the shift from digital threats to the physical sabotage campaigns seen over the summer.
Russian intelligence handlers, according to PET, recruit proxies through encrypted digital channels such as Telegram. They target vulnerable or marginalised individuals, including unhoused people and those struggling with substance abuse, as well as people motivated by quick financial rewards rather than ideological commitment.
Handlers initially give recruits low-risk, low-paid assignments such as conducting reconnaissance, scouting logistics routes or photographing Danish defence facilities and employee entry points. These tasks, it said, help build a local intelligence map while allowing handlers to test a recruit’s compliance.
Once recruits prove themselves, PET said, they can be escalated to physical sabotage, including setting fires, cutting power cables or destroying defence equipment. The agency said this mirrors operations such as the August 2026 attack on Milrem Robotics in Estonia.
PET warned that Russia is using a low-cost, high-risk strategy of attrition, with inexperienced proxies frequently being caught. Failed recruits can be abandoned and replaced with new ones recruited through Telegram, who may then be directed to target the same facility again.
Moscow has consistently rejected accusations that it conducts sabotage or hybrid warfare operations. On Wednesday, the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen dismissed the latest claims, accusing Danish authorities of making baseless allegations.
In September, Danish defence intelligence warned that Russia was likely to escalate its hybrid operations against Western countries. The assessment came after Berlin accused Moscow of being behind a targeted drone attempt at Leipzig/Halle airport in August.
Denmark has also faced suspected hybrid disruptions in the past. Before Denmark hosted an EU summit in September 2025, drone disruptions halted flights at six airports, including the one in Copenhagen. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the disruptions as a direct hybrid action targeting Denmark.
Ashwin Shekhar is an alum of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint.
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