- Russian attacks target Dutch public service and infrastructure
- China threat via support for Russia, chip industry espionage
- MIVD urges scaling up military to match Russia's pace
Russia is increasing its hybrid attacks aimed at undermining society in the Netherlands and its European allies, and Russian hackers have already targeted the Dutch public service, Dutch military intelligence agency MIVD said.
"We see the Russian threat against Europe is increasing, including after a possible end to the war against Ukraine," MIVD director Peter Reesink said in the agency's annual report.
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Western countries have in recent years said hybrid threats by Russia and China were becoming increasingly more aggressive.
Such threats could include everything from physical sabotage of critical infrastructure to disinformation campaigns, espionage and cyber attacks in a bid to influence or undermine society, the agency said.
It repeated its warnings of Russian entities mapping infrastructure in the North Sea for espionage, and acts of sabotage aimed at internet cables, water and energy supplies.
Britain's foreign spy chief accused Russia in November of a "staggeringly reckless campaign" of sabotage in Europe, ranging from repeated cyber attacks to arson.
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China also still poses a serious threat to Europe through its support for Russia's war efforts and aggressive stance towards Taiwan, the report said. It was continuing its efforts to gain Western knowledge through investments and espionage, especially in the Dutch semiconductor industry, it added.
The MIVD said last year Chinese cyber espionage was more extensive than initially thought, targeting Western governments and defence companies.
Reesink reinforced the message shared by European allies that the military needed to be scaled up.
"If you look at the speed at which Russia is increasing its military complex, its equipment, its artillery, it's by far much faster than we do in Europe, even in the U.S. So that creates a sort of window of vulnerability for us," he said.
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