Denmark blames Russia for ‘destructive’ cyberattacks ahead of elections

Danish authorities have unveiled new details of Russian cyberattacks targeting the country's infrastructure and websites in 2024 and 2025, describing previously unreported incidents.

According to a statement from Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service on Thursday, Moscow orchestrated "destructive and disruptive" cyberattacks, including one on a Danish water utility in 2024 that reportedly caused pipes to burst, leaving homes temporarily without water, as reported by Danish broadcaster DR.

Additionally, a series of denial-of-service attacks overwhelmed Danish websites ahead of recent regional and local elections.

The intelligence service characterised these actions as part of Russia's "hybrid war" against Western nations, aimed at fostering instability.

It further stated that Moscow's cyber aggression forms part of a wider strategy to undermine and penalise countries supporting Ukraine.

Torsten Schack Pedersen, Denmark's minister of resilience and preparedness, acknowledged that while the attacks resulted in limited physical damage, their implications were serious.

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“It shows that there are forces capable of shutting down important parts of our society," he said during a news conference Thursday, as reported by Danish broadcaster DR.

Schack Pedersen added that the cyberattacks show that Denmark is not sufficiently equipped to handle such situations, DR reported.

The attacks are among a growing number of incidents that Western officials say are part a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe masterminded by Russia. An Associated Press database has documented 147 incidents, including the two cases reported by Denmark this week.

Not all incidents are public and it can sometimes take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. While officials say the campaign — waged since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — aims to deprive Kyiv of support, they believe Moscow is also trying to identify Europe's weak spots and suck up law enforcement resources.

The Danish agency said pro-Russian group Z-Pentest carried out the “destructive attack” on the water utility in 2024 and that a separate group, NoName057(16), was responsible for the cyberattack on Danish websites ahead of the recent elections. It said both have links to the Russian state.

“The Russian state uses both groups as instruments of its hybrid war against the West. The aim is to create insecurity in the targeted countries and to punish those that support Ukraine,” the statement said.

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Z-Pentest's alleged actions affected the utility's water pressure and caused water pipes to burst near Køge, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Copenhagen, DR reported. Several customers were out of water as a result.

NoName057(16) acted, authorities said, in November to disrupt the elections, according to DR.

In Germany, meanwhile, authorities summoned Russia's ambassador in Berlin on 12 December after the foreign ministry accused Moscow of carrying out sabotage, cyberattacks and election interference.

That included a 2024 cyberattack against German air traffic control, German foreign ministry spokesperson Martin Giese said.