Belgium: Espionage activity at the highest level since the Cold War

According to the first annual report of the Belgian General Intelligence and Security Service, espionage and foreign interference have reached levels not seen since the Cold War.

The threat from Russia focuses specifically on increased cyber attacks, data being taken hostage and destroyed if the ransom is not paid.

The question of who is behind such attacks complicates matters. For example, if the perpetrator of an attack against a NATO member is proven to be a state, collective defense may be activated under Article 5, but the nature of the attack falls outside this criterion.

It is also observed that Russia carries out cyber reconnaissance activities of critical infrastructures, especially energy.

Parallel to the states, there are also espionage activities carried out by private cyber actors and private military companies. Russia’s Wagner company and Israel’s Pegasus company, which was involved in a spy scandal, are cited as examples of such structures targeting groups such as dissidents, journalists and human rights activists.

The head of the service, Wim Robberecht, told local media about the report: “The calm we have known since the end of the Cold War is over. This has been the case since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. Since then, the security situation has become more worrying.” he said.

Stating that the threat in question began to come not only from Russia but also from China, Robberecht said: “Technologically, China is extremely productive. Last year, we were hacked by Chinese agents close to the state in both our interior and defense departments.” he used his statements.

Although on a smaller scale than Russia and China, Iran also stands out when it comes to cyberattacks.

espionage activities on the agenda

In February, the Belgian Minister of Justice and the North Sea, Vincent Van Quickenborne, announced that a Russian ship had been sailing in the North Sea since November 2022 and its activities were being investigated on suspicion of espionage, as the ship had approached wind farms, underwater natural gas. and other critical infrastructure.

In recent weeks, satellite communication equipment used to transmit sensitive information to Russia at the Russian Embassy in Brussels has been on the agenda, reflecting the news that the largest number of Russian “spy antennas” in Europe have been found in Belgium. In the press.

Since Brussels is home to many international institutions, especially NATO and the European Union, Belgium is known to be the target of espionage activities. (AA)