Norwegian intelligence services said Wednesday that Russia was “likely” to launch sabotage attempts against Norway in 2025, potentially targeting energy infrastructure or aid sent to Ukraine.

Diplomatic relations between Oslo and Moscow have deteriorated sharply since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), Beate Gangas, said that while the EU had seen dozens of such attacks since the end of 2023, her unit had not found any evidence yet of Russian sabotage in the Scandinavian country.

“However, PST deems likely that Russian intelligence will try to carry out sabotage actions against targets in Norway in 2025,” she said, presenting the body’s annual threat assessment report.

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“The objective of such actions would be to stop our deliveries to Ukraine or to influence public opinion in a negative way,” she added.

Norway, a member of NATO, shares a 198-kilometer (123-mile) land border with Russia in the Arctic, as well as a maritime border in the Barents Sea.

NATO countries on the Baltic Sea met in Helsinki last month, looking to boost security following the suspected sabotage of undersea cables, widely blamed on Russia.

“As for state actors, we expect Russian to remain the main security threat in Norway,” Gangas said.

The Russian embassy in Oslo did not immediately reply to AFP’s request for comment.

Norwegian authorities have planned to spend 135 billion kroner ($18.8 billion) in civil and military aid to Ukraine in the 2023-2030 period.

Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine in 2022, the Scandinavian country has overtaken Russia to become the European Union’s top natural gas supplier.

“Norwegian-owned energy infrastructure may also be a target for sabotage in the year ahead,” PST said in its annual report.

The Norwegian intelligence services also reported a “significant” risk of espionage from China, which “should increase in the long term”, as well as from Iran and North Korea.

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