The MIVD update also discussed the threat level in the Netherlands, which is increasingly present. For example, there would even be Russian sabotage of the Dutch infrastructure, according to political journalist Sophie van Leeuwen, who was present at the presentation of the security update. “Late last year, a Russian vessel was turned away from the North Sea wanting to map a wind farm,” says Van Leeuwen. “Probably with the ultimate goal of sabotaging the whole thing. So it’s worrying.’
The vessel was turned away by the coastguard and navy, Major General Jan Swillens, also director of MIVD, told Van Leeuwen. “From our intelligence we could conclude that the vessel was interested in how those wind farms were controlled,” Swillens says. “We responded in time, so the Russians weren’t able to do their job. But it makes clear that such movements are much closer than one might initially think.’
Worrying
According to Van Leeuwen, this is a worrying but also unpredictable situation. “It is not known what Vladimir Putin will do,” he says. “And if Putin doesn’t win the ground war – because things are not going well in Ukraine – then he could escalate cyberattacks.”
According to Major General Swillens, these cyberattacks are already happening every day, but they still don’t seem to have any effect. But it is possible that Schiphol and Dutch and European energy infrastructure will come into view. “That’s his strategy and it’s up to us to maintain these goals,” continues Van Leeuwen. “It is a daily job for the AIVD and MIVD to intercept such attacks.”
front companies
The MIVD update also showed that there were many Russian front companies in the Netherlands. How many were rolled up, Swillens didn’t want to talk about numbers, says Van Leeuwen. “The Russians are obviously very busy evading European sanctions, so they’ve built up a network of front companies,” he says.
These companies are controlled by Russian intelligence, Swillens knows. “What we see and know is that Russia is suffering from the sanctions,” he continues. ‘Through the front companies – which are not initially connected to Russia – we see that they are trying to buy things they need for their arms industry, for example. That includes the fries.’
According to the major general, these are mainly companies that buy stuff and then resell it through construction to Russia, to avoid sanctions.