A failed cyberattack on a Swedish heating plant in 2025 is the work of a pro-Russian group with ties to Russian intelligence services, Swedish authorities have said. The attack is part of a series of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Europe, officials have claimed. Recent attacks have also been reported in Poland, targeting energy facilities serving 500,000 people, leading to concerns about an escalation in cyber threats from Russia.

For the first time, Sweden has confirmed a thwarted cyber attack on a western heating facility, Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin has said. The Minister connected the attack to a series of such attacks in Poland, affecting energy plants supplying 500,000 people, with evidence suggesting Russian hackers were involved.

“The attacks form part of over 150 acts of sabotage and other malicious activity in Europe by Russia tracked by The Associated Press and attributed by Western officials since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” was the report published by the Associated Press. “Officials say a goal of the attacks is to undermine support for Ukraine, sow fear and discord in European societies and divert resources to investigating the incidents.

Russia has also been behind a series of cyber attacks in Europe and on European critical infrastructure, which are believed to be retribution for support for Ukraine. Power, water and transportation systems have been targeted or tested in concerted attacks. These attacks blend sabotage, espionage and influence, and seek to disrupt and test capabilities.The attacks, which have mostly low impacts, follow a pattern of hybrid warfare, with cyberattacks complementing geopolitical pressures in Europe.

Russia has stated that it did not engage in any sabotage acts in Europe, although a series of attacks that occurred within the year were attributed to pro-Russian factions. In 2024, a series of cyber-attacks in Denmark resulted in the collapse of a water company’s system, thereby leading to a lack of water supply. In Norway, hackers managed to open a dam’s valve.