Russia will seek to gather even more information on Norway’s oil and gas infrastructure as part of efforts to put pressure on energy supplies in Europe, the country’s security agency PST warned on Monday in its annual threat assessment report, Reuters writes.

• “We witnessed the emergence of Russia’s ambitions to exert pressure on Europe’s energy security.
• Therefore, PST expects that in 2023, Russia will try to collect information on most aspects related to the Norwegian oil, gas and energy sector,” the Norwegian Security Agency said in a statement.

Although it is “unlikely” that Russia will carry out sabotage on the territory of Norway in 2023, the situation could change if Moscow wants to intensify its conflict with NATO and the West, PST warns.

The threat assessment report for Norway is the first since the start of the war in Ukraine last February. After sanctions against Russia and a drop in Russian exports, Norway became the largest supplier of gas to Europe.

“Norway’s role as an energy provider for Europe has become even more important in security policy as a result of the war in Ukraine,” says the PST report.

Oslo has stepped up security at its oil and gas facilities since the Sept. 26 explosions at the Nord Stream pipeline and is receiving help from NATO allies to protect them.

In October, Norway, which shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, put its troops on high alert in response to the war in Ukraine.

The PST also expects that Russia will be interested in gathering information in Norway about NATO’s expansion plans to Sweden and Finland, which are Norway’s neighbors, as well as in gathering additional information about the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The territory is under the sovereignty of Norway, but Moscow has a community of Russian citizens on the islands under a 1920 treaty.