The ship entered Dutch territorial waters “in recent months” before being detected and “escorted by the Dutch coastguard and the Navy”, Jan Swillens, head of this service (MIVD), told journalists.
“What we have seen in recent months is Russian actors trying to figure out how the North Sea energy supply is organised, with the intention of disrupting it,” Swillens added.
“The attempt did not succeed,” he said, without giving more information.
The incident has no connection with the expulsion of Russian diplomats and the closure of the commercial section of the Russian embassy in Amsterdam announced by the Netherlands on Saturday, said Mr. Swillens and Erik Akerboom, head of services Dutch secrets (AIVD).
“Whatever the outcome of the war in Ukraine, Russia will most likely remain a threat to the Netherlands in the long term,” reads a Dutch intelligence report released on Monday.
“The Netherlands must take into account that the war in Ukraine and its consequences will probably last for a long time,” Swillens said. “The outcome of this war will determine our future security and prosperity,” he said.
“If the West does not maintain unity once morest Russia, Moscow will probably conclude that aggression pays off,” he said.
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