The head of Norway's foreign intelligence service, Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensjoenes, said Russia has become more inclined to sabotage key infrastructure such as oil and gas facilities than a year ago . This may be in response to the West's increased support for Ukraine, BTA quoted.
"The level of risk has changed," Stensjoenes said in an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of an energy conference in Stavanger. He added that the acts of sabotage in Europe show that Russia has taken more aggressive steps.
Russia rejects these accusations, calling them Western propaganda, and the Russian embassy in Oslo has commented on the matter.
Norway, which is the largest supplier of gas in Europe and a major exporter of oil, considers that there is an increased risk, especially after the sabotage of the gas pipelines "Nord Stream" in September 2022. After this incident, Norway deployed its fleet to protect its platforms in the North Sea, but the extensive underwater infrastructure, some 9,000 km long, remains difficult to fully protect.
Vice Admiral Stensjoenes said that while Russia has become "more isolated from the West," the country will still be careful not to provoke NATO's collective defense.