Dutch counterterrorism agency on high alert for signs of Russian sabotage
The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) is on high alert for signals of Russian sabotage in the Netherlands. It’s working closely with the police and security services to quickly identify signals of subversive operations and disrupt them, the NCTV told the Telegraaf after a series of suspected sabotage incidents in other European countries.
In November, construction workers in Karlsruhe, Germany, found an explosive during maintenance on a high-voltage pylon, the local authorities announced on Friday. A forensic investigation determined that it had been buried at the high-voltage pylon, which is within a few hundred meters of a NATO kerosene pipeline, no more than 18 months earlier.
Two men were also recently arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting to sabotage a military base, according to the newspaper. Poland reported disrupting at least one network of agents plotting to sabotage the country’s rail network. Two men are standing trial in the United Kingdom for a fire in a warehouse containing aid supplies for Ukraine. And Sweden is investigating several mysterious train derailments,.
The NCTV expects Russia to also target the Netherlands, a spokesperson told the Telegraaf. Russia “deploys various hybrid activities against the Netherlands and our allies. That includes espionage and pre-positioning for sabotage of vital infrastructure and attacks,” the agency said “The NCTV takes this threat very seriously and works with all Ministries, intelligence and security services, and the police to collect signals where such threats may occur.”
The Netherlands puts a lot of effort into preventing these types of threats, the NCTV said. “The government has a wide range of instruments at its disposal for this purpose and is committed to increasing resilience against hybrid and other state threats.”
According to the military intelligence service MIVD, Dutch internet cables, gas pipelines, and wind farms at sea are vulnerable to sabotage. “Russia is secretly mapping this infrastructure and undertaking activities that indicate espionage and preparations for disruption and sabotage,” the MIVD said in its annual report. Sabotage in the Netherlands itself is “conceivable, as long as such attacks can be carried out in secret. It could be useful for Russia to prepare for physical disruption and sabotage.”
