Mostly nothing is stolen. For the most part, nothing is broken. Nevertheless, the onset of summer all around southern Finland is causing concern. They have one thing in common. All have been aimed at water towers and water systems. Now there is speculation as to who could be behind it. Several have already directed an accusing glance at Finland’s neighbor to the east: Russia. But so far there is no evidence for this. Unknown motive – The burglaries recorded are not unique. But the number of cases registered with the police about infrastructure related to water access has increased somewhat in recent months, writes police inspector in the Finnish police Jonne Lähteenmäki in an e-mail to news. Some media report that there are eleven cases. news has surveyed ten in the Finnish media. Lähteenmäki confirms that it is about ten pieces. news has mapped ten different break-ins or attempted break-ins at water facilities in southern Finland mentioned in the Finnish media this summer. Twice a new burglary attempt has been reported at the same facility a day or two after the first was discovered. For the most part, neither theft nor vandalism is registered. One exception is a break-in at a construction site at a water plant in Vantaa, northeast of Helsinki. Tools were stolen there. – It is typical that nothing has been stolen or that we cannot find any other obvious reason for the actions, writes police inspector Jonne Lähteenmäki. – The common denominator is the unclear and illogical activity of unknown perpetrators in the vicinity of critical infrastructure. Burglary and attempted burglary in water facilities in Finland In May or June, someone broke into the water tower in Tesoma in Tampere. In mid-June, someone tried to break into a facility in Hervanta in Tampere. On 7 June, the alarm went off at a facility in Kangasala. It must be a false alarm. In Borgå (Porvoo in Finnish) someone tried to break in at the beginning of June. A day or two later another attempt was reported. In mid-June, someone also tried to get into a water tower in Sibbo. Here, another attempt was also registered the following day. In Vantaa, there was a break-in at a construction site at a water treatment plant in mid-June. Tools were also stolen from a car parked at the site. Burglary in two water facilities in south-west Finland. It was the “Welfare Area” South-West Finland, which is responsible for welfare services in the region, which sent out messages to its employees. Time and exact place are not known. The incidents are reported by Iltalehti, Yleisradio Oy (YLE) and Swedish YLE. The police are now continuing the investigation into the cases. They do not deny that there is a connection between the cases. The break-ins may seem harmless. After all, the damage is minor. But there may be several reasons to take them seriously. Creates insecurity The break-ins are “prime examples of the form of non-military aggression that Russia has perfected”, claims an analysis in Foreign Policy. It points to several possible motives. Perhaps it is to survey the water facilities with a view to future attacks. Maybe they will make people worry about whether the tap water is safe to drink. Several believe that the aim may be to spread fear: – If the burglaries are connected and it turns out that a foreign actor is behind them, then I think that the aim is to create a disturbance in society. To show that the state is unable to ensure people’s safety, says Viktorija Rusinaité to news. Rusinaité is head of research and analysis at the European Center for Hybrid Threats (Hybrid SOE). Viktorija Rusinaité at Hybrid SOE does not ignore the fact that Russia may be behind the burglaries in Finland. Photo: Hybrid SOEViktorija Rusinaité at Hybrid SOE does not disregard the fact that Russia may be behind the burglaries in Finland. Photo: Hybrid SOE “Hybrid threats” or “composite threats” are various types of attacks or actions which are not acts of war, but which aim to harm a society. It can be sabotage, terror, computer attacks, espionage and the spread of misinformation. Rusinaité emphasizes that there is no evidence that Russia is behind the burglaries in Finland. But that wouldn’t surprise. The timing in particular is suspicious. Recruited with Telegram Recently, there have been several other mysterious events in Europe. Everything from assassination plans and arson to vandalism and strange coffins dumped at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Russia has been blamed for much of it. During the Olympics in Paris, both the telecommunications network and the train lines have been sabotaged, without it being clear so far who is responsible. Workers inspect the site in Croiselles in northern France where sabotage against train lines is suspected on July 28. Poland’s largest shopping center in Warsaw burned down on May 12. Russia is accused of being behind it. Armin Papperger is the head of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall. Russia is accused of being behind plans to liquidate him. Coffins draped with the French flag were dumped at the Eiffel Tower one morning earlier this summer. Russia was blamed. Last year, 14 people were convicted in Poland for having planned to derail a train with defense material bound for Ukraine. They also monitored an airport. The case was reported by the Polish news website Notes from Poland. Those arrested were recruited by Russian security services through the messaging service Telegram, says Viktorija Rusinaité at Hybrid SOE. Those arrested were from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Rusinaité says that it was people with little money, refugees and migrants, who were recruited. – They go after vulnerable individuals who are willing to carry out the sabotage just for money. Russia has also had to resort to new methods to carry out actions, according to Rusinaité. In recent years, Western countries have expelled many Russian diplomats suspected of actually being intelligence agents. Last year, Norway expelled, among other things, 15 employees at the Russian embassy in Oslo. – They may be looking for new ways to carry out the hybrid attacks. For example, by using social networks to recruit vulnerable people, says Rusinaité. Want to weaken Ukraine support Finland increased preparedness after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Police inspector Jonne Lähteenmäki in the Finnish police emphasizes that they are prepared for various threats and cooperate with companies connected to critical infrastructure. But it is still a challenge to prevent attacks against targets that are off the beaten track. – We are following the situation and have asked the public and the media to keep their eyes open. It is crucial that people have a low threshold for immediately reporting incidents related to critical infrastructure, emphasizes Lähteenmäki. Several planned sabotage actions against the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport in Poland have been averted. The airport is used in connection with the Ukraine war. Here, a Ukrainian soldier was evacuated with a converted SAS plane from Norway in 2023. Photo: PETTER BERNTSEN / AFP Finland supports Ukraine in the war against Russia and recently became a member of NATO. As a result, there are more threats from Russia, according to Finland’s security police (Supo). – Russia’s main goal is to weaken Western countries’ support for Ukraine, writes communications specialist Irene Zidan in Supo in an email to news. – At the moment, Russia is more concerned with other things than Finland, but Finnish actors linked to the material support for Ukraine can become targets for Russian sabotage. Finnish soldiers took part in a NATO exercise on the border with Norway in March. After Finland became a NATO member, the threat from Russia has increased, according to the security police. Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP In Norway, it is not uncommon for break-ins and vandalism to occur at water facilities. But the Police Security Service (PST) believes that these are isolated incidents. – We don’t see anything here on the same scale as in Finland. PST currently has no concerns that a state actor is behind it, says communications director Trond Hugubakken to news. The Norwegian Police Directorate also says that they have not received reports of break-ins or the like against water towers in Norway. – It is not the case that everything that happens is reported to the Directorate of Police. But if something like this had happened on a large scale, we would probably know about it, writes press officer Roar Hanssen in the Norwegian Police Directorate in an e-mail to news. Interested in abroad? Listen to the foreign affairs editor’s podcast here: Published 02.08.2024, at 19.22 Updated 02.08.2024, at 19.44
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Burglary in water facilities in Finland – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
