In the deteriorated security situation, a number of attacks on Swedish infrastructure such as transmission towers, railways, water facilities and underwater cables raise questions.
Is it a foreign power that is behind it?
It is in the nature of things that it is difficult to understand. If a state actor is behind it, it is precisely what one wants to achieve, uncertainty and ambiguity, says Säpo chief Charlotte von Essen.
We see that we have received significantly more incidents. But the reasons for this can be many and it does not have to mean that state actors are behind it.
Hasty conclusions
Security-threatening events must be reported to Säpo. This can happen both through the activity that has been affected and through the police.
How many cases it involves, Säpo does not want to say.
But above all, it is reported to the police, and we work closely with the police but also other involved authorities to be able to make these assessments, says Charlotte von Essen.
She emphasizes that it is important not to draw hasty conclusions that other countries' intelligence services are behind the attacks.
Then we create a picture of a deteriorated situation that may not exist, and not least, we benefit the forces that wish us ill.
Charlotte von Essen, for example, points to the sabotage-suspected vessel Vezhen which damaged a cable between Sweden and Latvia at the end of January.
There, the prosecutor could clearly determine that in that case, the assessment was that foreign power was not behind it, but that it was a matter of poor seamanship, bad weather and poor equipment.
Linking foreign power to operations in Sweden is at the same time difficult and can require large resources. It is a matter of individual cases where Säpo has publicly made that type of attribution.
Conducts propaganda
Must (Military Intelligence and Security Service) points to a Russia that takes greater risks, with everything from arson, vandalism and attacks on elected officials in other European countries.
It can also happen here, says Must chief Thomas Nilsson.
He also emphasizes that not all suspected activities should be linked to foreign power.
It can of course be used in the contexts where one wants to destabilize us. Maybe one does not do everything, but one conducts propaganda that says "look at the Swedish police - they cannot even protect you from copper theft".
Then one sows division in society and creates distrust of the public. We have seen that Russia has become better and better at seizing such opportunities that arise, says Nilsson.
