Two suspected Russian intelligence operatives are thought to have entered the UK on ordinary cargo ships before travelling to locations close to military bases and key infrastructure, The i Paper has reported.
The pair are said to have arrived earlier this year through ports at Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth. A UK defence source claimed the men, linked to Vladimir Putin’s military and intelligence networks, managed to access Britain unnoticed by using commercial shipping routes rather than more heavily monitored entry points.
Experts believe the Agents chose ports to exploit “less rigorous” border checks.
Neither cargo vessel used was Russian-flagged, nor were they among the “shadow fleet” of sanctioned ships associated with the Kremlin. That clandestine network typically masks ownership and cargo types to move restricted goods.
Russia accused of turning shipping lanes into a covert battleground
Western security specialists warn that Moscow is increasingly using Europe’s shipping routes for grey-zone operations, disguising surveillance and drone activity behind what appear to be ordinary merchant vessels.
According to The i Paper, a senior Nato figure tasked with protecting Europe’s maritime corridors said intelligence services have detected Russian operatives moving around on non-suspicious cargo ships.
The official said Russians “dominate” parts of the shipping industry, creating an “ideal” environment for covert movement.
The Nato source told the newspaper: “It would be the most natural place to move people around in that world, and we think it’s going on.
“They are not sailing on shadow fleet tankers, they are sailing on all [types of] ships.”
The official added that following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there has been a sharp rise in activity involving Russian agents monitoring and “testing” European ports to “find weaknesses”.
Operatives seen near military training areas and fuel sites
One suspected spy, who had previously been observed near secure UK military locations, reportedly arrived in Torquay from Finland before visiting areas close to Lulworth Firing Range — the site used by British forces to train Ukrainian soldiers.
A second man, earlier spotted at intelligence-linked facilities in Moscow and St Petersburg, is said to have travelled from Kaliningrad, docking at Middlesbrough and Grangemouth before heading to major fuel infrastructure.
Atlantic Council senior fellow Elizabeth Braw said the port system provides an obvious gap for hostile state operatives.
Ms Braw said: “It doesn’t surprise me that Russia wants to bring certain people into the country even though they can reach people who are already there.
“They need their own operatives to conduct this sort of activity.”
She explained that such missions are normally handled by Russian intelligence staff posted to diplomatic roles in the UK, but noted that there are “far few officers in the country” after Britain expelled 24 Russian officials.
More than 2,900 individuals have been sanctioned by the UK Government since the Ukraine war began.
