Published on 5/30/2026
Three senior European intelligence officials told The Associated Press that Russian intelligence services “have become more aggressive in their efforts to steal Western technology and defense secrets, as pressure on the country’s wartime economy due to sanctions increases.”
According to these officials, Moscow agents create fake companies, recruit intermediaries, and deploy cyber spies and hackers to collect information that can also be used to attack critical infrastructure.
The Europeans attribute this to 4 years of international sanctions on Moscow, which they say have hindered Russia’s ability to purchase machinery, technology and research from Europe, while the ongoing war in Ukraine has exhausted key industries and pushed the country towards a potential financial crisis.
The Associated Press quoted Christopher Videlen, deputy chief of operations at the Swedish Security Service, as saying: “They know exactly what they need, and they are making serious efforts to obtain advanced machine tools, factory equipment, research technologies, and dual-use technologies. They are also seeking advanced research, defense technologies, and software.”
According to Fedelin, Russia targets defense industries and advanced research related to Sweden’s latest weapons, such as the Gripen fighter plane, and is also trying to obtain camera and laser technologies developed for civilian purposes, which can be integrated into Russian weapons systems.
As for the Director of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, Juha Martelius, he says: “Russia is trying to steal technology to help it keep pace with the West, or give it a competitive advantage, in the coming decades,” pointing to space technology, quantum technology, Arctic technology, and marine technology. It also needs computer technology and sanctioned software updates for factory machines.
Accusations
Last Wednesday, Anne Keast-Butler, director of Britain’s cyber intelligence agency, accused Russia of “relentlessly targeting” the United Kingdom and its European allies, by stealing technology and planning sabotage and assassination attempts.
This May, Swedish police arrested two people on suspicion of violating sanctions related to a company in Türkiye that shipped dozens of shipments of metalworking tools and turning machines to Russia.
As schemes to acquire the technology become more complex, companies need to be more aware that they may unwittingly become part of the Russian military supply chain, says Fedelin, adding that “all of Russia’s security and intelligence services are assisting the state in its efforts to obtain this technology.”
Intelligence officials say that Russia no longer cares much about exposure, and Moscow is launching cyberattacks on European companies and vital infrastructure in an attempt to collect information that it can exploit “when it has the opportunity and when it serves its purpose,” according to Videlin, who cites an attack on a Swedish power plant last year.
According to Fidelin, parties linked to Russia tried to destroy the station, but failed because the system detected the hack, adding that the attack was partly aimed at undermining Western support for Ukraine.
Before that, the Swedish security services were mostly content with reconnaissance surveillance to monitor any potential attacks, collect intelligence information, or any activity linked to cybercriminals.
The attack represented a “shift” in Russia’s modus operandi, according to Fidelin, who said: “They no longer care much about the possibility of being identified after their activities, so they are taking greater risks to achieve their goals.”
An economy in crisis
For his part, Kaupo Rusin, head of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, says that Russia’s increasingly aggressive tactics may reflect growing internal concerns about its economy, which is not going well at all.
Martellius explained that about a third of Russia’s gross domestic product is currently allocated to the war effort. The war and subsequent sanctions have slowed growth and fueled persistent inflation.
Kaupo Rusin added that Russian officials were planning a budget deficit of 3.7 trillion rubles ($52.1 billion) for the entire year of 2026, and it had already reached about 3.4 trillion rubles ($47.9 billion) by the end of last February.
The Iranian war that broke out on February 28 contributed to the severity of the crisis through the rise in oil prices. The United States granted sanctions exemptions for the sale of Russian oil, while the United Kingdom eased its sanctions in an attempt to reduce global fuel costs.
Increased revenues since then have likely improved Russia’s budget, but “this does not save it,” Roussin said, adding that if Western pressure continues, Moscow could face a financial crisis by the end of the year.
Roussin pointed out that the intelligence information reviewed by his agency shows a more pessimistic view among the Russians. During the past six months, Russia’s popularity in Ukraine has declined, after the narrative of “total victory” has faded.
Kest-Butler, of British intelligence, said that nearly 500,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in Ukraine since the outbreak of war in 2022. Russia and Ukraine have mostly kept secret their battle casualty figures.
Citing intelligence reports, Roussin noted that faltering progress on the battlefield and economic problems had led many Russian officials to secretly ask: “What is the point of all this?”
Martelius, of the Finnish intelligence service, said that although some reports about the war in Ukraine may have been falsified before reaching President Vladimir Putin, he believes the Russian leader has a fairly clear picture of the economic challenges, but that does not necessarily mean political change.
