Danish Intelligence report highlights Russia's 'intentional' espionage on Denmark

The Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) has claimed in its annual risk assessment that Russia is "intentionally" spying on Denmark, including phone tapping, hacking, and more traditional espionage tools like recruiting sources to divulge secrets. The report also underscored Moscow's military dominance. Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen, a DDIS official, stated that there is a serious threat to Danish organisations, authorities, and a number of Danish businesses.

"Russia has a strong capacity to carry out classic agency operations as well as cyber espionage," she told Danish Radio as reported by Sputnik. 

In comparison to previous releases, this year's report lays a larger emphasis on Russia, which is perceived as posing a threat to Denmark in other areas as well, such as the Arctic, where both countries have territorial claims. According to the report, the Russian military is of a very high standard and in some areas, they are even better than modern, high-tech opponents.

"We are employing more force to depict Russia's tools, rearmament, and modernisation of the armed forces that have been noticed in various fields. This is a concerning pattern," Dalgaard-Nielsen remarked. 

'Russia has a deep mistrust of West and its motives': Danish defence official

According to the Danish intelligence community, Russia has now gained parity with NATO in several sectors following five years of military rearmament and modernisation. Russia has a great distrust of the West, according to the Danish Defence Intelligence Service, which raises the possibility of an unintentional escalation. "We are concerned because the Russian leadership has a deep mistrust of the West and its motives, which could lead to misunderstandings and inadvertent escalation," Dalgaard-Nielsen stated. She further stated that Russia is presently the strongest country in the Baltic Sea and would have an advantage in the case of a confrontation since it could block NATO countries from sending reinforcements to the region. 

Sweden, Finland often expressed concerns about Russia's military modernisation

It is significant to mention here that this isn't the first time Russia has been viewed as a potential threat. Sweden and Finland have often expressed concerns about Russia's military modernisation and made similar espionage charges. Sweden's Navy Chief, Ewa Skoog Haslum, described Russia and China as the two biggest threats to the Scandinavian country. Notably, Russian-Danish relations have deteriorated as a result of mutual accusations and criticism. In the month of November, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova alleged that the Danish justice system follows the country's general Russophobic trajectory.

(Image: AP)