The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) reported that Russian intelligence agencies are using social media to recruit individuals for sabotage operations across Europe. According to Yle, these actions may include arson and acts of vandalism aimed at instilling fear and destabilizing key sectors of society.
Supo's suspicions mainly point to Russia, but the individuals recruited for these sabotage efforts may be unaware of their true employer due to the use of intermediaries. This makes it difficult to directly link the sabotage to the state responsible.
Teemu Liikkanen, head of Supo's counterintelligence department, noted that money is often the primary motive for attracting saboteurs and cybercriminals. He emphasized that the objective of these attacks is to create panic and disrupt the normal operations of critical infrastructure.
Recently, there have been incidents of illegal entry into water supply facilities in Finland, though no direct connection to Russia has been established. Supo considers large-scale sabotage unlikely, as such actions could be interpreted as armed attacks.
Liikkanen also reminded that intelligence agencies from other countries, including China, are active in Finland.
