NewNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
According to reports, two suspected Russian spies are believed to have secretly entered Britain on cargo ships before traveling to locations near major military bases and critical government infrastructure.
The paper claims the two men arrived in the UK using the ports of Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth in the north-east during the spring and summer of 2025.
A British defense source also suggested that the men were linked to President Vladimir Putin’s military and intelligence networks.
Britain says Russian spy ship off UK waters, Defense Secretary issues warning to Putin
Two suspected Russian spies entered Britain on cargo ships via the ports of Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth before visiting areas near military bases. (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images))
The pair are accused of secretly entering the country using commercial shipping routes instead of passing through heavily monitored border entry points.
The ships they allegedly used were neither Russian-flagged nor part of a sanctioned shadow fleet linked to the Kremlin, making them highly unlikely to attract investigation.
A senior NATO official responsible for protecting Europe’s maritime waters told the outlet that intelligence agencies had detected Russian operatives traveling on unsuspecting cargo ships.
The official said these types of ships provide an ideal way to transport personnel discreetly.
US turns to Finland to close Arctic ‘icebreaker gap’ as Russia, China expand polar presence
Allies say that Putin is testing NATO’s limits by infiltrating the aircraft. (Ramil Siddikov/Pool/Reuters)
“It would be the most natural place for people to go in that world and we think that’s what’s going on,” the source said.
“They’re not traveling on shadow fleet tankers, they’re sailing on all [types of] ships,” the source claimed, adding that Russian agents “surveilled and tested European ports to detect vulnerabilities.”
One of the suspected operators is said to have entered the UK via Torquay in the South West after traveling from Finland.
The second, previously seen at an intelligence-linked facility in Moscow, was suspected of traveling from Kaliningrad and entering via Middlesbrough and Grangemouth.
After spending time around the storage facility in Grangemouth, the second operator also visited Falkirk, where they visited a retail park.
NATO considers ‘more aggressive’ response to Russia’s hybrid threats
Suspected Russian operatives entered Britain through ports near weapons facilities to test security vulnerabilities. (John Keeble/Getty Images)
Both British dockyards were recently proposed by the Ministry of Defense as potential sites for future UK arms factories.
They are currently disused brownfield locations, raising concerns over the safety implications of said visits.
Elizabeth Brough of the Intelligence Council and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council told the Eye Paper that it makes sense for Russian intelligence to exploit these vulnerabilities.
Click here to download Fox News App
“I’m not surprised that Russia wants to bring some people into the country, even if they can access people who are already there,” he said.
“They need their own operatives to conduct this type of activity,” Brough said.
