Russia is upping hybrid attacks against Europe, Dutch intelligence says

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Russia is increasing its hybrid attacks aimed at undermining society in the Netherlands and its European allies, and Russian hackers have already targeted the Dutch public service, Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said Tuesday.

“We see the Russian threat against Europe is increasing, including after a possible end to the war against Ukraine,” MIVD director Peter Reesink said in the agency’s annual report.

“The conflict in the gray zone between war and peace has become a reality. More and more, state actors try to undermine our society with hybrid attacks. Russia especially … is increasingly prepared to take risks,” he said.

The MIVD said it had for the first time detected an attack by Russian hackers against the digital operating system of an unspecified Dutch public service last year.

It said it had also found a Russian cyberoperation against critical infrastructure in the Netherlands, possibly as preparation for sabotage.

Hybrid threats span everything from physical sabotage of critical infrastructure to disinformation campaigns.

The MIVD described such attacks as combining traditional acts of espionage with cyberattacks and other attempts at influencing and undermining society.

The agency repeated its warnings of Russian entities mapping infrastructure in the North Sea for espionage, and acts of sabotage aimed at internet cables, water and energy supplies.

Britain’s foreign spy chief accused Russia in November of waging a “staggeringly reckless campaign” of sabotage in Europe, ranging from repeated cyberattacks to Moscow-linked arson.

Moscow has denied responsibility for all such incidents, saying accusations against it are baseless and unproven.