Denmark’s security and intelligence service says Russian intelligence is actively preparing sabotage against Danish defense companies linked to support for Ukraine. The warning, reported on September 3, brings the security of European supply networks into focus alongside the fighting inside Ukraine.
PET’s counterintelligence chief, Emil Græsholm, said the service had identified attempts to recruit ordinary Danes through social media and gaming platforms. Tasks could include photographing businesses or infrastructure to help prepare sabotage, Reuters reported.
A warning about preparations
The distinction between planning and a completed attack is essential. PET’s new warning concerns concrete preparations directed at Danish industry. It does not, by itself, establish that a particular Danish factory has been attacked or name a business that the public should treat as compromised.
Ritzau’s account, published by The Copenhagen Post, said Græsholm specifically identified arson as a possible objective and urged defense companies to strengthen security. Recruits could be asked to report on access arrangements and security around factories.
Why the concern extends beyond Denmark
In its published sabotage assessment, PET says Russian activity seeks in part to obstruct supplies to Ukraine and create fear that weakens European support. It describes intermediaries and proxy groups as a way to identify targets and carry out destructive acts.
The service also explains why attribution can be difficult: deliberate damage may initially resemble an accident, while the connection between an immediate perpetrator and a foreign intelligence service can be concealed. Its assessment is background on the threat, not proof of any newly alleged individual case.
Russia disputes the allegation
Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, said PET had offered no concrete evidence supporting its allegations, according to Reuters. Moscow denies involvement in hybrid warfare. The public accounts reviewed for this report do not include the underlying intelligence needed to independently assess PET’s specific findings.
The warning therefore creates two tests: whether authorities can disrupt the reported preparations, and whether companies can protect staff and production without turning suspicion into unsupported accusations against individuals. Further official evidence, protective measures and any subsequent charges will matter more than treating every industrial incident as sabotage.
Hero: AI photo illustration using PET’s published visual references. The staged objects are explanatory and are not evidence from an investigation.
