Russian hackers attacked a public facility in the Netherlands last year, marking the first documented cyberattack on the nation’s infrastructure, according to the Dutch military intelligence agency, which provided the information on Monday.
The Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) highlighted in its annual report that the Netherlands continues to be a “desirable target” for Moscow, largely due to its ongoing support for Ukraine, its international institutions based in The Hague, advanced technology sectors, and significant ports such as Rotterdam.
In 2023, a Russian hacker group executed a cyber operation against the digital control system of a public infrastructure in the Netherlands, as stated by the MIVD.
“This appears to be the first occurrence of such a sabotage operation targeting a digital control system in our country,” reported Vice Admiral Peter Reesink, the director of MIVD, in a comprehensive 52-page document.
While the intelligence agency did not specify which facility was attacked, it confirmed that the incident resulted in no damage.
The MIVD cautioned that Russian forces are also engaged in mapping critical infrastructure in the North Sea and undertaking underwater activities indicative of “espionage and preparations for disruption and sabotage.”
“Consider infrastructure like internet cables, drinking water, and energy resources,” Reesink noted.
In 2018, former Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld remarked that the Netherlands was involved in a “cyber war” with Russia, following the expulsion of four officers from Russia’s GRU military intelligence, who were accused of trying to hack the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) headquarters in The Hague.
Russia dismissed these allegations as “disinformation” and characterized global criticisms of its cyber operations as “spy hysteria.”
Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Netherlands has supplied F-16 fighter jets and a Patriot missile defense system to support Kyiv.
Recently, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans announced an additional allocation of 150 million euros (approximately $172 million) for air defense systems to aid Ukraine.
