Key Highlights
- The i Paper claimed the two men arrived in the UK during the spring and summer of 2025, using ports at Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth, in the north-east. A UK defense source also suggested the men were linked to President Vladimir Putin’s military and intelligence networks.
- BRITAIN SAYS RUSSIAN SPY SHIP IS ON EDGE OF UK WATERS, AS DEFENSE SECRETARY ISSUES WARNING TO PUTIN Two suspected Russian spies entered the UK via cargo ships through Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth ports before visiting areas near military bases.
- (PAUL ELLIS/)) The pair are alleged to have accessed the country covertly by exploiting commercial shipping routes rather than passing through heavily monitored border entry points.
- The ships they used were reportedly neither Russian-flagged nor part of the sanctioned shadow fleet associated with the Kremlin, making them far less likely to attract scrutiny. A senior NATO official responsible for protecting Europe’s maritime waters told the outlet that intelligence agencies had detected Russian operatives traveling on non-suspicious cargo vessels.
- The official said those type of ships offer an ideal way of moving personnel discreetly. US TURNS TO FINLAND TO CLOSE ARCTIC ‘ICEBREAKER GAP’ AS RUSSIA, CHINA EXPAND POLAR PRESENCE Putin is testing the boundaries of NATO with aircraft incursions, allied states say.
