Spy case prompts Danish defence firms to review security

Danish defence companies should reassess their safeguards against espionage and sabotage, business groups have urged after two Ukrainian citizens were charged over alleged spying on defence firm MyDefence, DR reports.

The two are accused of sending photographs of MyDefence as part of an espionage case. Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen said people who take pictures of a local defence company in return for money risk serving Russia’s interests or becoming “useful idiots”.

Danish Industry, a business organisation, said it was difficult to judge how well prepared companies were. Joachim Finkielman, its deputy director for defence and security, said firms appeared to have become more alert, particularly after warnings from authorities.

“This case shows that these are not just arguments on paper from the authorities, but that things are actually happening in the real world,” Finkielman said. He urged companies to consider whether they had taken the right precautions.

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, deputy director of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, said defence companies were highly aware of the threat and had a high level of readiness. He was more concerned about other businesses that might assume the issue did not affect them.

“The chain is never stronger than its weakest link,” he said, noting that many companies supply the defence industry or otherwise have contact with defence firms.

In September, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service issued a threat assessment warning that Russia would increasingly target defence companies for sabotage. The Danish Security and Intelligence Service also disclosed specific Russian plans for sabotage operations against defence companies in Denmark.

Ellemann-Jensen said companies should be careful about images that reveal their entrances and the physical layout of workplaces. This was not something businesses had traditionally needed to keep secret, he said, but there was a reason others were interested in such details.

Systematic, an Aarhus-based software company that supplies software for NATO missions, said it had further raised its alert level following the threat assessment and the suspected espionage case. The company said it was in regular contact with authorities and followed their recommendations.

In a written statement, the company’s director of cybersecurity, Henrik Skovfoged, urged staff to be alert to emails, phone calls and approaches in person or on social media. Systematic said it regularly reviewed its preparedness in areas including cybersecurity, work and employment procedures, training and physical security. It declined to specify the new measures it would introduce.

Danish Industry urged other defence companies to review who could enter and leave their premises and check their electronic and cyber security. Wammen said companies were responsible for protecting themselves, but were not alone: authorities maintained ongoing contact with affected businesses, police and intelligence services.

Danish Industry estimates that the country’s defence industry includes about 500 companies, supplying the armed forces directly or providing components and advice to the sector.