Russian operatives have reportedly infiltrated the UK via commercial cargo ships to scout military sites and assess vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
Russian operatives linked to President Vladimir Putin’s intelligence networks have reportedly utilized commercial shipping routes to gain access to UK ports and critical infrastructure sites.
According to reports, two suspected Russian spies are believed to have secretly entered the UK on cargo ships before traveling to locations near key military bases and essential government facilities. The i Paper reported that the two men arrived in the UK during the spring and summer of 2025, using ports in Torquay, Middlesbrough, and Grangemouth in the northeast.
A UK defense source suggested that the men are connected to Putin’s military and intelligence networks. The pair allegedly 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 less likely to attract scrutiny from authorities. A senior NATO official responsible for protecting Europe’s maritime waters indicated that intelligence agencies had detected Russian operatives traveling on non-suspicious cargo vessels.
The official stated that such ships provide an ideal means of moving personnel discreetly. “It would be the most natural place to move people around in that world, and we think it’s going on,” the source said. “They are not sailing on shadow fleet tankers; they are sailing on all types of ships,” the source added, noting that Russian agents had monitored and “tested European ports to find weaknesses.”
One of the suspected operatives reportedly entered the UK through Torquay in the South West after traveling from Finland. The second operative, previously seen in Moscow at an intelligence-linked facility, is suspected of traveling from Kaliningrad and entering via Middlesbrough and Grangemouth.
After spending time around the storage facility at Grangemouth, the second operative also traveled to Falkirk, where they visited a retail park. Both British docks were recently proposed by the Ministry of Defense (MoD) as potential sites for future UK weapons factories. These locations are currently unused brownfield sites, raising concerns about the security implications of the alleged visits.
Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a member of the Intelligence Council, commented on the situation, stating that it makes sense for Russian intelligence to exploit these vulnerabilities. “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,” she said. “They need their own operatives to conduct this sort of activity,” Braw added.
The infiltration of Russian operatives into the UK through commercial shipping routes underscores the ongoing concerns regarding national security and the potential for espionage activities targeting critical infrastructure.
As tensions continue to rise between Russia and Western nations, the implications of such infiltration efforts remain a significant focus for intelligence agencies and defense officials alike, according to i Paper.