On April 22, the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) published the annual report for 2024. In it, the MIVD states that the Netherlands is increasingly confronted with hybrid attacks – especially from Russia. The severity of attacks from Russia is increasing sharply.
According to the report, the MIVD was able to detect several Russian actions in the Netherlands last year. For example, a Russian hacker group carried out a cyber sabotage attack against the digital operating system of a public institution – without causing any damage. With regard to this attack, the MIVD speaks of the first Russian sabotage attack in the Netherlands.
No decline expected
“The MIVD does not see the Russian threat to Europe decreasing, but rather increasing. Even after a possible end to the war with Ukraine (-> current news from the Ukraine war)”, MIVD Director Vice Admiral Peter Reesink sees no easing in the coming years. In his opinion, the NATO is now building up its military capabilities much more slowly than Russia. This is partly due to the fact that Russia has switched to a war economy.
The MIVD was also able to observe a Russian cyber operation against critical infrastructure. This was possibly intended to prepare an act of sabotage. However, the hackers were unable to gain access to the network. Other attacks targeted the websites of political parties and public transport companies. This was an attempt to make it more difficult for Dutch citizens to vote in the European elections last June.
In its report, the MIVD wrote: “The Netherlands is of strategic importance to NATO and the defense of Europe due to its location and infrastructure, among other things. This is one of the reasons why the Netherlands is in Russia’s sights.”
In recent years, the MIVD has already warned that several Russian units are mapping the infrastructure in the North Sea, such as internet cables and energy supplies. The MIVD has also pointed out (underwater) activities that indicate espionage and preparatory acts of disruption and sabotage. Actual disruptions could lead to major damage and disruption in the Netherlands, Europe and the rest of the world.
NATO has a duty
“This annual report confirms that we live in a gray area between war and peace. The task is clear. In the Netherlands, we already have to defend ourselves every day against cyber attacks, espionage and sabotage attempts. At the same time, we must rapidly strengthen our military capabilities,” said Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans. At the same time, he also called other NATO countries to account: “Within NATO, this applies to both the Netherlands and other European countries. In order to avoid vulnerability towards Russia, we must quickly upgrade our armed forces and our defense industry. This is the only way we can prevent further Russian aggression in Europe.”
Reesink concluded by addressing the geopolitical situation in recent months: “There have been turbulent developments in international politics and alliance matters. They have called into question certainties on which we were able to build and trust until recently. The speed at which this is happening and the potential impact on our security is unprecedented.”
