Sabotage at major rare earth mine LKAB. Swedish intelligence warned

The incident occurred in a mine located near the city of Kiruna in the Norrbotten region in northern Sweden. It was in this area located beyond the Arctic Circle that in January 2023 Swedish engineers discovered the largest confirmed deposits of rare earth metals in the EU. Thanks to them, Kiruna can drive the green transformation on our continent, because these raw materials are used to produce batteries, electric motors and wind turbines. Military equipment is also made from them.

Sabotage at a rare earth mine near Kiruna

LKAB, Europe’s leading iron ore mining company, is responsible for the mine’s operations. The Swedish company said in a statement that an unidentified perpetrator or perpetrators cut water supply hoses, destroyed tires and emptied fuel containers on four machines. This happened while drillers were inside the machines.

LKAB reported the incident to the police and SAPO special services. The company also assured that it has increased security measures at the facilities.

Swedish intelligence warned against Russian attacks

Authorities suspect Russia of committing sabotage at the mine near Kiruna. Earlier this week, Swedish intelligence warned of an increased risk of Russian sabotage. The secret services of Sweden, Norway and Denmark say local criminals are recruited for such activities via the Internet.