Russian Spies Are Aggressively Seeking Western Technology as Sanctions Bite, Officials Say

Cyberwarfare Russian Spies Are Aggressively Seeking Western Technology as Sanctions Bite, Officials Say Moscow’s agents are building fake companies, recruiting middlemen and deploying cyber spies and hackers who gather information that could be used to attack key infrastructure. By Associated Press | May 30, 2026 (12:00 PM ET) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Whatsapp Email Russia’s intelligence agencies have grown more aggressive in their efforts to steal Western technology and defense secrets as sanctions squeeze the country’s wartime economy, three senior European intelligence officials told The Associated Press. Moscow’s agents are building fake companies, recruiting middlemen and deploying cyber spies and hackers who are gathering information that could also be used to attack key infrastructure, they said. Four years of international sanctions have hampered Moscow’s ability to procure machinery, technology and research from Europe, while the grinding war in Ukraine has taxed key industries and pushed the country toward a potential financial crisis. “They really know what they need,” and are putting “serious effort” into acquiring advanced machine tools, factory equipment, research and dual-use technology, said Christoffer Wedelin, deputy head of operations at the Swedish Security Service. Russia seeks high-end research, defense technology and software In Sweden, Russia is targeting the defense industry and high-end research on the country’s most advanced weaponry, such as the Gripen fighter jet, Wedelin said. It is also trying to procure camera and laser technology developed for civilian purposes that could be integrated into Russian weapons systems, he said. Moscow is also trying to steal technology to help it keep pace — or give it an edge — against the West in the decades ahead, said Juha Martelius, the director of Finland’s Security and Intelligence Service. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. “We’re talking about space technology, quantum … arctic technolo