Sweden’s Security Service has disrupted a Russian intelligence operation that sought information about Swedish political decision-making and aimed to influence divisive issues. Three people linked to the operation have left Sweden, while Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is urging the public to remain vigilant.
The case was made public just over a month before Sweden’s parliamentary, regional and municipal elections on 13 September. The government says, however, that this particular operation is not assessed as being connected to the election.
Russian SVR targeted Swedish decision-making
The Swedish Security Service, Säkerhetspolisen, announced on 10 August that it had mapped and acted against an intelligence operation directed by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR.
According to Säpo, the operation had been planned and controlled by the SVR over a longer period. One of its purposes was to obtain information about how decisions are made in Sweden. Russian intelligence could then use that knowledge in influence activities focused on polarising issues.
Säpo says the broader objective was to undermine Swedish decision-making and discredit Sweden, the European Union and NATO.
Russian intelligence is particularly interested in Sweden’s political positions, the country’s work within NATO and the EU, support for Ukraine and Swedish military capabilities, according to the security service.
A foreign diplomat was recruited as an agent
A central part of the operation involved an agent working at a foreign diplomatic mission in Sweden.
Säpo has not publicly identified the country represented by that person. The agency says the handling of the agent continued for a long period and involved covert methods.
The agent was given assignments to collect information that could later help Russian intelligence influence or discredit Swedish decision-making.
Säpo says it was able to follow in detail how meetings were conducted and what was discussed between those involved.
The case also shows that traditional espionage remains important despite growing attention around cyberattacks and online influence campaigns. Säpo says Russian intelligence services continue to recruit human sources who can collect information or approach other people on their behalf.
Times of Sweden recently reported on another side of the same wider security problem: Russian-linked recruitment networks using encrypted platforms and cash offers to find people willing to carry out surveillance and sabotage.
Three people were forced to leave Sweden
The Swedish government also acted against people connected to the operation.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer told SVT that government decisions resulted in two Russian intelligence officers and the recruited foreign agent leaving Sweden. All three had operated under diplomatic cover.
Strömmer said Sweden had made clear in its relations with Russia that such activity would not be tolerated.
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard also told SVT that the government had acted decisively and that the individuals concerned had been required to leave because of their activities in Sweden.
Kristersson says operation came close to politics
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told Dagens Nyheter that he was not surprised by the discovery of the operation.
The particularly sensitive part of the case was the interest in Sweden’s political decision-making process.
Kristersson described the operation as having been close to politics, although not connected to the Swedish election. He also said he shared the assessment that, with a high degree of certainty, the operation had not caused damage before it was stopped.
Säpo’s own description supports the broader concern. The agency says the operation was specifically designed to gather information about Swedish decision-making and create opportunities for later influence efforts.
Government says operation is not linked to September election
The timing is sensitive because Sweden is now entering the final weeks before the 2026 election.
According to the Swedish Election Authority, elections to the Riksdag, regional councils and municipal councils will be held on 13 September 2026. Early voting in Sweden begins on 26 August.
The intelligence case should not, however, be presented as an attempt to interfere directly in that election.
Strömmer told SVT that the current operation is not assessed as having anything to do with the September vote. Instead, he described it as part of a broader pattern in which Russia works strategically and over the long term.
That distinction matters. Säpo describes Russian intelligence activity against Sweden as a long-term security threat that extends beyond election campaigns.
Its interests include political positions, defence, NATO and EU cooperation, Swedish support for Ukraine and issues that can create divisions within society.
Kristersson urges people in Sweden to stay alert
Kristersson has also used the case to call for greater public awareness.
Speaking to DN, the prime minister said people should react when someone approaches them for reasons that appear unusual or difficult to explain. He called for “general vigilance” and ended with the well-known Swedish phrase “En svensk tiger.”
For international readers, the phrase requires some explanation.
“En svensk tiger” literally means “a Swedish tiger”, but it is also a Swedish play on words. The word tiger can refer to the animal, while tiger is also a form of the verb tiga, meaning to remain silent.
The expression became famous during a Swedish wartime vigilance campaign.
According to Beredskapsmuseet, the campaign began on 21 November 1941. Its blue-and-yellow tiger became a widely recognised reminder that careless conversations could provide useful information to spies.
Kristersson’s use of the phrase in 2026 brings the old message into a very different security environment, where suspicious approaches can happen both in person and through digital communication.
Säpo explains what to do after a suspicious approach
Säpo says recruitment by foreign intelligence services often happens gradually rather than beginning with an obvious request to spy.
Someone who believes they may have been approached should record who made the contact, when it happened, how the first contact was made and what explanation the person gave for approaching them.
The security service says people should then contact Säpo even if they are uncertain whether the incident was actually a recruitment attempt.
This is not a theoretical warning. Säpo says people in Sweden are subjected to recruitment attempts every year.
