Russia may use civilians, journalists to spy on Denmark: Danish intelligence

Denmark's intelligence service expects Russia to recruit civilians and use journalists and business people to spy on the country as an alternative to Russian diplomats who were expelled last year on suspicion of espionage, it said on Tuesday.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has intensified Moscow's need for intelligence gathering in NATO countries, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) said in a report on Tuesday.

Controlling the entrance to the Baltic Sea, Denmark would play an important strategic role in a potential military conflict with Russia as a transit point for NATO reinforcements, making the NATO-member a particular focus for Russia, PET said.

Russia's embassy in Copenhagen did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters.

When Denmark, in line with other EU countries, expelled 15 Russian diplomats in April last year, it crippled Russia's capacity to spy on Danish soil.

"But Russia's need to obtain information in Denmark has increased ... and PET therefore expects Russia to try to use other ways of spying in Denmark," PET said.

"...It could be stationing intelligence officers in Denmark outside the diplomatic representations, for example as journalists or business people, using visiting intelligence officers or that the Russian intelligence services to a greater extent recruit any Danish sources in Russia or in third countries."

Other methods would include different forms of electronic intelligence gathering and cyber espionage, it added.