Coast Guard ship on patrol near a North Sea offshore platform. AP.
Scandinavian broadcasters are set to accuse Russia of planning to sabotage energy and communications infrastructure in the North Sea.
Details of the alleged scheme will be revealed in a series of reports
by public media networks in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland on
Wednesday.
- The investigation was jointly conducted by Denmark's DR, Norway's NRK, Sweden's SVT, and Finland's Yle.
- The
outlets allege that Russia equipped a fleet of fishing trawlers
with underwater surveillance equipment to map locations for carrying out
possible acts of sabotage.
- Russia developed the plans to
prepare for the possibility of a full conflict with Western countries,
according to a Danish counter-intelligence officer.
- The Netherlands' intelligence agency warned in February that Russia could be making preparations to sabotage North Sea infrastructure.
- Relations between Russia and Western countries deteriorated following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on the invasion's one-year anniversary that Russian forces are fighting NATO, as well as Ukraine's military.
