Russian drone-makers in the frame as Sweden’s speed cameras vanish
They have been accused of hacking into western computer systems, sabotaging gas pipelines in the Baltic and spying on sensitive military installations and industrial plants.
But could the Russians also be behind the mysterious theft of Swedish speed cameras for use in home-made drones being deployed in the war in Ukraine?
The bizarre theory emerged last week as a possible explanation for the removal in recent weeks of more than 150 of the devices from roadside poles.
Sweden’s 2,300 distinctive blue fartkameror, used to enforce limits of 70-90 km/h, have long fallen victim to vandalism. But the recent spate of thefts appears to be on a wholly different scale. According to the Swedish authorities, 70 cameras, which cost 250,000 Swedish kronor (£19,780) each, were ripped out in eight days at the end of August in Stockholm and Uppsala.
There was a pause in September, but the attacks resumed in the middle of this month, mostly in the dead of night. The total cost to replace them has been put at more than 40 million kronor by the Swedish Transport Administration.
The finger has been pointed at Moscow after the recent discovery of a camera of a similar type in a home-made Russian drone sent to spy on Ukraine. In a film posted online by the Ministry of Defence in Kyiv, one such craft that crashed is seen being taken apart to reveal a camera attached with Velcro to a steel plate.
The theory of a possible Russian connection is fascinating Swedes, who have been unnerved by the leaks late last month in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on the Baltic seabed off their country’s south coast. Separate investigations by both Sweden and Denmark have blamed sabotage but not named the alleged perpetrator.
Lars Wilderang, author of a popular Swedish military blog, has speculated that restrictions on the export of western technology could be obliging Russia to become creative to source components.
In a recent post he wrote of a series of thefts “of a somewhat odd nature” from Sweden that included not just speed cameras but also binoculars, night vision sights and other hi-tech equipment that may have been ordered from Moscow.
Hans Liwang, associate professor at the Norwegian Defence Academy, told Swedish media it was possible the stolen cameras could find their way into Russian drones through a growing black market.
The Swedish Security Service has said it is aware of the claims but would not comment.
More clarity could come following the arrest on Friday of a Swedish citizen on suspicion of having stolen components from a speed camera, Wilderang reported yesterday on his blog. But he said it was likely to be months before the suspect goes on trial, with the authorities reluctant to release any more information in the meantime.
The disappearance of the cameras comes amid reports of a number of recent burglaries from Swedish industrial companies. Johan Sjoberg, an expert on security policy for the Swedish Business Association, told the financial newspaper Dagens Industri that there were fears the perpetrators were “acting on behalf of foreign interests connected to the war in Ukraine”.
Yet some remain sceptical. Eva Lundberg, of the Swedish Transport Administration, notes the camera in the drone intercepted by the Ukrainians was a Canon. The Swedes use only Nikons. The cameras are also set up to photograph cars and their drivers at a fixed distance of 50ft and cannot easily be adjusted, she said.
