Reports suggest two individuals suspected of being Russian spies covertly arrived in the UK aboard cargo vessels before proceeding to areas in proximity to crucial military installations and vital government infrastructure.
It was further asserted that the two men entered the UK during the spring and summer of 2025, utilizing ports located at Torquay, Middlesbrough, and Grangemouth in the north-east.
A defense source within the UK also indicated a link between the men and President Vladimir Putin’s military and intelligence apparatus.
The pair are alleged to have gained clandestine entry into the country by exploiting vulnerabilities, rather than traversing heavily monitored official border checkpoints.
The ships reportedly used by them were neither Russian-flagged nor part of the sanctioned ‘shadow fleet’ associated with the Kremlin, thereby significantly diminishing the likelihood of attracting scrutiny.
A senior NATO official, responsible for safeguarding Europe’s maritime domains, informed the outlet that Russian operatives had been detected traveling on ostensibly non-suspicious cargo vessels.
The official stated that such types of ships present an optimal method for the discreet movement of personnel.
“It represents the most natural means of moving people in that context, and we believe it is occurring,” the source declared.
“They are not exclusively sailing on shadow fleet tankers; they are utilizing all manner of ships,” the source claimed, additionally stating that Russian agents had been observing and “testing to identify weaknesses.”
One of the suspected operatives is reported to have entered the UK via Torquay in the South West, having journeyed from Finland.
The second, previously seen at an intelligence-linked facility in Moscow, was believed to have traveled from Kaliningrad and entered through Middlesbrough and Grangemouth.
After spending time in the vicinity of the storage facility at Grangemouth, the second operative also proceeded to Falkirk, where they visited a retail park.
Both of these British docks were recently proposed by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) as prospective sites for future UK weapons manufacturing facilities.
They are currently disused brownfield locations, intensifying concerns regarding the security implications of the alleged visits.
Elisabeth Braw of the Intelligence Council and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, conveyed to the i Paper that it is logical for Russian intelligence to exploit these vulnerabilities.
“It is not surprising to me that Russia seeks to introduce specific individuals into the country, even though they can access people who are already there,” she commented.
“They require their own operatives to conduct this particular kind of activity,” Braw added.