Russian Intelligence Targeting Svalbard And Finmark, Using Russian Crews On Foreign-Flagged Vessels To Do So, Norwegian Police Security Service Warns – OpEd

In its annual report on security challenges, Norway’s Police Security Service warns that Russian intelligence is targeting Svalbard, an archipelago that belongs to Norway, and Finmark, the northern portion of Norway, and using Russian crews on foreign-flagged vessels to do so.

The report says that Moscow’s actions include “cyber and influence operations, sabotage, recruitment of human sources, evasion of sanctions and export control regulations as well as security-threatening economic measures” (pst.no/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Nasjonal-trusselvurdering-2026.pdfdiscussed at thebarentsobserver.com/security/police-russian-crew-members-pose-a-significant-espionage-threat/444849).

“To hide” what it is doing, Moscow is using civilian vessels and especially “Russian crews on board civilian vessels registered in a third country.” These pose “a significant threat within the sphere of cover maritime intelligence in 2026,” the Police Security Service warns in its report.  

According to the PST, “Russian intelligence and security services are active throughout Norway,” but it notes that “the northernmost counties and Svalbard are of particular interest and therefore particularly exposed to intelligence and influence activities. This applies, among other things, to the border areas in Finmark and the Russian presence in Svalbard."

This new PST report provides the most detailed documentation in the public domain about Russian intelligence operations in Svalbard and the ways in which they may presage a Russian move against NATO there. (For background on this posssibility, see jamestown.org/moscows-first-move-against-nato-could-take-place-in-norways-svalbard-archipelago/ and jamestown.org/moscow-using-svalbard-to-test-natos-readiness-and-resolve/.)