Russia is stepping up its hybrid attacks against the Netherlands and its European allies to influence and weaken their societies, the Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said Tuesday.
The agency’s annual report said that Russia attempted to disrupt the 2024 European election by launching cyberattacks on websites belonging to Dutch political parties and public transport companies, aiming to make it harder for Dutch citizens to vote.
“The MIVD does not see the Russian threat against Europe decreasing but increasing. Even after a possible end to the war with Ukraine,” MIVD Director and Vice Admiral Peter Reesink said in the report.
“There are turbulent developments in international politics and in the alliance field … The speed with which this is happening and the potential effect on our security is unprecedented,” he added.
The MIVD revealed several recent Russian operations in the Netherlands, including the first known cyber sabotage attack by a Russian hacker group targeting an unspecified Dutch public facility’s digital systems in 2024. According to the report, the impact of the attack was minimal and did not lead to any damage.
The agency also detected a Russian cyber operation targeting critical infrastructure in the Netherlands, potentially in preparation for future sabotage. The operation did not succeed, the report noted.
“We live in a gray zone between war and peace,” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans commented on the report.
“To prevent vulnerabilities in the face of Russia, a swift scaling up of our armed forces and defense industry is essential. Only then can we prevent further Russian aggression in Europe,” he added.
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