Russian spies have been caught trying to infiltrate Norway who were posing as fishermen and tourists.
The Norwegian military said the Russian agents were caught in the port city of Kirtkenes, which comes as the Kremlin has stepped intelligence gathering and sabotage operations in what is called hybrid warfare.
Norway shares a 124-mile border with Russia in the far north and relations between Moscow and the West have deteriorated.
Commander John Olav Fuglem of the newly formed Finnmark Brigade told Sweden’s SVT, “We see a bigger threat up here and it is mainly espionage and gathering information.
“When you live here, you become a little more vigilant.
“And you quickly see if there are people with a different dialect who are walking around taking pictures, who are in places they should not be, or who are in places that are important to us. We notice that.”
A Norwegian border guard also told SVT, “We have a lot to do here at the border and we have a good dialogue with those who live in the area.
“They are attentive to whether there is something that does not seem right.”
