– It is possible that social media can be a platform for Russian interests to meet people who can carry out intelligence activities in Norway. That’s what Johan Roaldsnes, head of PST in Finnmark, says. KNOWN MATTER: – We are aware of what information is requested. And we keep in touch with the owners of the information, says PST manager in Finnmark, Johan Roaldsnes. Photo: Kristin Humstad / news According to Ukrainske Pravda and the TV channel Current TV, Russian special agents are recruiting ordinary people in Northern Norway to spy for them. ABC news write that some of the agents claim to be connected to the Russian Geographical Society. However, according to the online newspaper, the organization is connected to the Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. The recruitment will take place, among other things, via social media. This is not unknown to the PST manager. – With a lack of undercover intelligence officers at the embassy in Oslo, PST assumed that this places greater demands on the Russian services. Among other things, how they obtain the necessary information, says Roaldsnes. The alleged Russian agents want information about military installations, in addition to energy production and supply. Activity has increased According to Current TV, people living in both Alta and Tromsø should have been tried for registration. PST chief Roaldsnes will neither confirm nor deny the information in the news case. He also does not wish to comment on the number or extent. The same applies to the police chief in Finnmark, Ellen Katrine Hætta. But they are both clear on one thing: The Russian threat and activity in the north have increased. And not least, he has changed character. – Yes, it has become more massive. The insurance policy situation has changed, and therefore Norway has become more attractive for this type of activity, says Hætta. – The threat has increased. Probably as an expression of a new willingness to take risks. And that they are looking for new ways to get hold of information that was previously easier to get hold of, Roaldsnes elaborates. And he adds: – We are familiar with what information is being requested. And I keep in touch with the owners of this type of information. Suspicious picture That Russian intelligence is mapping the infrastructure in Norway is nothing new. In 2017, then PST chief Benedicte Bjørnland came out and said that Russia and other foreign powers are working to get information on three fields: defense and preparedness political decisions the power and communications sector This can be about important junctions along roads or at sea. news knows that the police also monitor what is posted of photos on, among other things, Google Maps. In 2013, a photograph of a bridge in Kautokeino was uploaded. The special thing about this photograph is that it shows the users – that is, how the bridge is built. That tourists take the trouble to take this type of photo is seen as inferior. The picture of the bridge over the Kautokeino river at Gievdneguoika was taken in 2013. The photographer must be a person with a residential address in Ukraine. Photo: Google Maps Fears of increased tension Professor at the University of Tromsø, Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, also sees signs that Norway has increased in importance for Russia in the past year. In August, Russia put Norway on its list of unfriendly countries. – This is a way of saying that Norway has become a larger part of their threat image. This could mean increased activity against Norway in the form of hacking, obtaining information and sabotage, says Gjørv to Dagsavisen. Gjørv believes that in the future we will see increased tension on the Norwegian-Russian border. And also in the Barents Sea. Professor of critical peace and conflict studies at Norway’s Arctic University UiT, Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, thinks we will see increased activity towards Norway in the future. Photo: UiT – Be faithful to Norway County mayor in Finnmark, Hans Jacob Bønå (H), is not surprised by increased activity from Russia on Norwegian soil. Bønå has recently, together with mayor Magnus Mæland in Sør-Varanger, been exposed to what he fears is unwanted Russian activity. The county mayor is now underlining the need for increased focus on safety and preparedness in the county. – I hope people in Finnmark are loyal to the county and Norway. And that they did not allow themselves to be enticed no matter how tempting it might be. And he adds: – It can be very punishable to provide sensitive information about the country to foreign powers. Suddenly you have become a spy. And perhaps without actually being aware of it. So be careful, says Bønå. CONSIDERED: – It is not surprising. But I am a little worried if ordinary people have tried for the position, he says. Photo: KAROLINE SØRENSEN BRANDTZÆG – Get in touch Politmeister Ellen Katrine Hætta encourages people to get in touch if they experience something they think could be espionage. – Report to the police or PST. Then I can check if the suspicion is true. We treat all tips discreetly. And then I give feedback to the reporter about what I have found out. – Why is this important? – It is important to take things down if I can. We do not wish to stigmatize Russians. And we don’t want to create unnecessary conflicts with our neighbor to the east, says Hætta.
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Russia is trying to enlist spies in Finnmark via social media – news Troms and Finnmark
