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Russia May Target Norway’s Military Sites and Ukraine Supply Lines in 2026, Security Service Warns
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Russia is likely to intensify its intelligence activity in Norway in 2026, with a growing focus on the Arctic mainland and the Svalbard archipelago, Norway’s domestic security service PST warned on February 6, citing heightened risks of surveillance and sabotage.
In its annual threat assessment, the Norwegian Police Security Service said Moscow is expected to expand intelligence operations targeting military sites, allied exercises, Norway’s support for Ukraine, and strategic areas in the High North and the Arctic, according to Reuters.
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Northern Norway and Svalbard are particularly exposed.
“The northernmost counties and Svalbard are of particular interest and therefore especially exposed to intelligence and influence activities,” the service added.
The agency said Russian intelligence is likely to continue monitoring Norway’s long coastline and mapping critical infrastructure, including through the use of civilian vessels.
“Russian intelligence may see benefit in carrying out sabotage operations on targets in Norway in 2026,” it added.
The most likely targets include property and logistics infrastructure linked to support for Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, though civilian infrastructure could also be affected, as reported by Reuters.
In addition, PST said Russian intelligence services are increasingly attempting to recruit Ukrainian refugees in Norway to gather intelligence or carry out sabotage. Refugees with family members or property in temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine are considered especially vulnerable to pressure and coercion.
With around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees currently living in Norway, such recruitment efforts pose “a major challenge,” the security service said, underscoring growing concerns about Russia’s intelligence posture in the Nordic and Arctic regions.
The security alert also comes amid broader domestic preparedness measures. Norway’s armed forces have begun informing thousands of citizens that their property could be requisitioned in the event of war, a step the military says is part of wider contingency planning for a potential national security crisis.
According to the report, around 13,500 Norwegians will receive official letters stating that homes, vehicles, boats, and certain types of equipment may be taken over by the military if a conflict were to occur. Norwegian defense authorities stressed that the notifications are strictly precautionary and carry no implications in peacetime.
“The requisitions are intended to ensure that, in a wartime situation, the armed forces have access to the resources necessary for the defense of the country,” the military said.
Earlier, it was reported that Britain’s Royal Marines are taking part in cold-weather training at Camp Viking in northern Norway, a facility opened in 2023 to strengthen NATO’s readiness along its eastern flank.
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