Two young men, aged 18 and 21, have been charged with espionage after allegedly photographing the Danish defense company MyDefence in Nørresundby.
The men were arrested on October 19 and charged under Section 108(1) of the Danish Criminal Code, which covers espionage. DR reports that both men deny guilt.
They appeared at a preliminary custody hearing on October 20, where the doors were closed to the public. Berlingske reports that the hearing took place at Aalborg District Court. The case is being investigated by North Jutland Police together with the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, PET.
Per DR, the two are suspected of photographing the company on October 19 along with one or more unidentified accomplices. The images were allegedly sent to a person on Telegram. According to TV2, prosecutors suspect that a Russian intelligence service is also involved.
Police inspector Sune Myrup, who leads the investigation at North Jutland Police, said in a press release that officers view the case with great seriousness. Neither man understands Danish, and an interpreter in Russian and Ukrainian was present in court. A name ban applies, so identifying details cannot be published.
MyDefence makes anti-drone equipment used in Ukraine
MyDefence is headquartered in Nørresundby in North Jutland and makes systems that detect drones and protect against drone attacks. The company has supplied equipment to the Ukrainian military. It declined to comment on the case to DR Nyheder.
The company has been targeted before. Chief executive Dan Hermansen has said that Russian hackers gained access to company emails ahead of a trip to Ukraine. Berlingske describes MyDefence as a drone defense technology firm.
PET warned about sabotage plans days earlier
PET declined to comment on the case itself. As reported by DR, the service warned last week that Russia has concrete sabotage plans against Danish defense companies. PET’s head of counterintelligence, Emil Græsholm, said selected companies and industry organizations had already been briefed on the threat picture.
According to PET, Russia tries to recruit ordinary people in Denmark through social media and online platforms. Tasks can include photographing companies or installations for use in planning sabotage. PET warns generally against taking photo assignments from strangers involving defense companies and other security sensitive targets.
Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, responded to last month’s warning in a written comment. He said PET had presented no concrete evidence that Russian security services are preparing sabotage against Denmark. DR says it has sought a comment from the Russian embassy on the new case.
DR’s investigative journalist Niels Fastrup notes that Russian intelligence officers at the embassy in Denmark were expelled long ago. He says Russia has shifted to recruiting young people in Europe through Telegram, often people with Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian backgrounds. He describes a pattern seen many times in Europe over the past three to four years, linked to pressure on European military support for Ukraine.
What the case means for foreign residents in Denmark
Two Danish legal terms shape what the public learns here. A grundlovsforhør is the court hearing that decides on pre-trial custody, and in this case the doors were closed, which keeps evidence out of public view. A navneforbud, or name ban, means media cannot publish information identifying the accused, and it applies to foreign nationals in exactly the same way.
DR lists several open questions, including what the two men do in Denmark and which Russian service is suspected. The reporting by Fastrup is that recruitment through Telegram has targeted young people with Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian backgrounds, and PET’s public advice is to refuse photo assignments for strangers involving defense sites. Denmark has tightened security measures elsewhere, including a ban on Russian software over espionage fears, but no new rules have been announced in connection with this case.
