Sweden disrupts Russian intelligence operation targeting decision-making

Sweden's security service, Sapo, announced it has disrupted a Russian intelligence operation targeting the country. The operation aimed to influence Swedish decision-making processes and discredit Sweden, NATO, and the European Union.

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collected information about a Russian intelligence operation aimed at influencing decisions made in Sweden and discrediting Sweden, NATO and the EU, and took measures against it.

According to Sapo, the operation was planned and led by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). The agency stated that the goal was to gather information on Sweden's decision-making to enable influence operations on divisive societal issues. This would have undermined Sweden's decision-making process and damaged its reputation, as well as that of NATO and the EU.

Christoffer Wedel, deputy head of Sapo's operations department, explained that Swedish security services took action to protect critical Swedish interests and prevent further negative impact. While Sapo did not specify the diplomatic mission involved, it has repeatedly identified Russia, alongside China and Iran, as posing the greatest intelligence threat to Sweden.

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One of the objectives of the operation was to collect information about Sweden's decision-making process so that Russian intelligence services could carry out influence operations on divisive issues in society, aiming to harm Sweden's decision-making process and discredit Sweden, NATO and the EU.

Sweden abandoned its two-century-old military neutrality and joined NATO in 2024, a decision heavily influenced by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The disruption of this alleged SVR operation highlights ongoing geopolitical tensions and intelligence activities in the region.

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Upon learning of this operation, the Swedish Security Service took action to protect critical Swedish interests and prevent further negative impact.