Russian spies entered UK on cargo ships to target military bases and sites
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Two suspected Russian spies are believed to have sneaked into the UK on cargo ships before heading to locations close to key military bases and critical government infrastructure, according to reports.
i Paper He claimed the two men arrived in the UK in the spring and summer of 2025, using the north-east ports of Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth.
A UK defense source also claimed that these men were linked to President Vladimir Putin’s military and intelligence networks.
While Britain said the Russian spy ship was off the coast of British waters, the defense minister warned Putin
Two suspected Russian spies entered Britain on cargo ships from the ports of Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth before visiting areas near military bases. (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images))
The couple allegedly entered the country secretly using commercial shipping routes rather than passing through heavily monitored border entry points.
The ships they used are reportedly neither Russian-flagged nor part of the Kremlin’s sanctioned stay-behind fleet, making them much less likely to come under scrutiny.
A senior NATO official responsible for protecting Europe’s maritime waters said intelligence agencies had identified Russian agents traveling on unsuspecting cargo ships.
Such ships offer an ideal way to secretly transport personnel, the official said.
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“It would be the most natural place in this world to move people, and we think that’s continuing,” the source said.
“They don’t sail shadow fleet tankers, they sail them all [types of] The source stated that Russian agents were observing European ports and “testing them to find weak points.”
One of the suspected agents reportedly entered the UK via Torquay in the South West after traveling from Finland.
The second, previously seen at an intelligence-related facility in Moscow, was suspected of coming from Kaliningrad and entering via Middlesbrough and Grangemouth.
After spending time at the storage facility in Grangemouth, the second operator also traveled to Falkirk where he visited a retail park.
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Suspected Russian spies entered the UK through ports near weapons facilities to test security weaknesses. (John Keeble/Getty Images)
Both British ports were recently proposed by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) as potential sites for future UK arms factories.
These are currently unused brownfield locations, raising concerns about the security implications of the alleged visits.
Elisabeth Braw, of the Intelligence Council and a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told i Paper that it makes sense for Russian intelligence to exploit these weaknesses.
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“It doesn’t surprise me that Russia wants to bring certain people into the country even though it can reach people who are already there,” he said.
“They need their own agents to carry out such activities,” Braw added.
