Norwegian intel chief warns of increased Russian sabotage risks

Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensoenes, head of Norway's Intelligence Service (NIS), has indicated that Russia is now more likely to attempt sabotage of infrastructure such as oil and gas facilities.

"The risk level has changed," Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensoenes, head of the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS), told Reuters.

"We believe sabotage is more likely, and we see acts of sabotage happening in Europe now which indicate that they (the Russians) have moved a bit on that scale."

Russia rejects such accusations as Western scaremongering. Its embassy in Oslo said Stensoenes' statements were "made out of thin air".

"(They) are used to justify the West's chosen course of confrontation with Russia and the corresponding military preparations, including in Norway," it said in a statement to Reuters.

Earlier this year, Norway's intelligence agencies assessed that Russia "may find it prudent" to conduct acts of sabotage, with petroleum the prime target, while last year they judged that unlikely.

Norway is Europe's largest gas provider and a major crude oil exporter.

Stensoenes, whose agency is responsible for collecting intelligence abroad and supporting Norway's military, did not offer specifics about Russian threats in a brief interview on the sidelines of an energy conference in the city of Stavanger.

News.Az