Sweden accuses Russian hackers of trying to launch a “devastating” cyberattack on a thermal plant

The Swedish government said hackers linked to the Russian government tried to disrupt operations at one of the country’s thermal power plants last year. Sweden said that although the hackers failed, hybrid attacks that extend beyond cyberspace are becoming more dangerous.

Swedish Civil Defense Minister Karl Oskar Bohlen said During a press conference On Wednesday, the attempted attack occurred in early 2025 and attributed the incident to hackers “connected to Russian intelligence and security services.”

“Pro-Russian groups that carried out denial-of-service attacks are now trying to launch devastating cyberattacks against organizations in Europe,” Bohlen said. As reported by Bloomberg.

Bohlin did not name the factory, but said the attack was repelled “due to the built-in protection mechanism.” The minister said the cyberattack indicated “more dangerous and reckless behaviour” on the part of the hackers.

A Russian government spokesperson did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

This is the latest known attack on critical infrastructure linked to Russian hackers in recent years, as government hackers increasingly target energy and water systems with the aim of causing real-world disruption to public services.

Before the attack on Sweden, Russia accused An attempt to bring down parts of the electricity grid in Poland In December 2025. Earlier in the year, Russian pirates briefly hijacked a dam in Norway and opened the flood gates Millions of gallons of water were poured Before the hackers were kicked out of its computer systems.

A cyberattack on a municipal energy company in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv in early January 2024 It led to hundreds of apartments losing heat For two days in freezing temperatures. Researchers said some evidence suggests the hackers are operating from Russia, but attribution cannot be confirmed.

Before the recent hacks, Russia was blamed for cyberattacks that caused widespread disruption of the Internet Electricity grid of Ukraine in 2015.