Denmark's intelligence agency warns Russia 'actively' preparing acts of sabotage

Published on 03/09/2026 - 12:09 GMT+2 Russia is "actively" preparing sabotage operations against Denmark, particularly its defence industry, Danish intelligence agency PET told the AFP news agency on Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT "The Russian intelligence services are actively preparing acts of sabotage targeting the defence industry in Denmark," Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said in a statement to AFP. They are recruiting "ordinary Danes" on social media to take photos that can be used in planning acts of sabotage, it said. Emil Graesholm, PET head of counterintelligence at the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, told newspaper Berlingske in an interview on Thursday that the agency was sharing details about the methods "because they don't need to look like a spy movie." The warning came after EU countries summoned Russia's envoys and discussed fresh sanctions after an explosive-laden drone incident in Germany that the bloc's foreign policy chief said bore the marks of "state-sponsored terrorism." European Union ministers weighed how best to respond to the attempted drone attack on Wednesday but struggled to find new ways to meet the challenge without resorting to military means. "It is clear that it has all the hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism. The question is: what do we do about this," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters before chairing a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Ireland. The EU has already slapped almost two dozen packages of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, hitting more than 3,000 officials, oligarchs and entities including banks, energy companies and drone makers. Russia has in recent months been accused of ratcheting up sabotage attacks against European backers of Ukraine, as Moscow's forces stall on the front line of the war launched by the Kremlin in 2022. Back in 2024, PET said that the Russian threat against Denmark, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, had grown stronger. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Denmark has provided Ukraine with at least €10 billion in military support and around €1 billion in civilian contributions, the Danish foreign ministry said. In June, Copenhagen announced its 30th military aid package for Kyiv worth around 4.4 billion kroner (€577 million) which would include ammunition, arms, equipment and training for Ukrainian soldiers. Additional sources • AP, AFP