STOCKHOLM, April 15 (Reuters) - A pro-Russian cyber group tried to disrupt operations at a Swedish thermal power plant last year, the Swedish government said on Wednesday, adding that Russian hybrid
Swedish power plant targeted by pro-Russian group in 2025, government says
Details of the Cyberattack and Government Response
Incident Overview
STOCKHOLM, April 15 (Reuters) - A pro-Russian cyber group tried to disrupt operations at a Swedish thermal power plant last year, the Swedish government said on Wednesday, adding that Russian hybrid attacks had become more frequent and serious.
Carl-Oskar Bohlin, minister for civil defence, said the group had targeted a power plant in western Sweden during the spring of 2025, but that the attack had been unsuccessful. Bohlin did not name the plant.
Investigation and Attribution
"The Security Police handled the case and were able to identify the actor behind it, who had connections to Russian intelligence and security services," Bohlin told a news conference.
"Fortunately, no serious consequences occurred due to a built-in protection mechanism," the minister said.
Russian Embassy Response
The Russian embassy in Stockholm rejected the accusations as unfounded.
"The allegations of the alleged involvement of certain Russian hackers in such illegal activity remain at the level of the 'highly likely' principle favoured by Western countries, that is, unfounded suspicions," Russian ambassador to Stockholm Sergey Belyaev was quoted by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti as saying.
Security Police and Comparative Incidents
A Swedish Security Police spokesperson said the agency no longer had an open investigation into the matter.
Bohlin compared the incident with similar attacks in Poland on energy infrastructure, which Polish officials have blamed on Russian spy agencies.
Increasing Threats and Broader Context
He said Russian hybrid attacks had become more frequent since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and recently also more dangerous.
"We have seen for some time now that pro-Russian individuals and groups that have previously carried out denial-of-service attacks are attempting to carry out destructive cyberattacks against businesses in Europe, also against Swedish targets," he said.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander, additional reporting by Dmitry Antonov in Moscow; editing by Terje Solsvik and Toby Chopra)
