The i Paper<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n A UK defense source also suggested the men were linked to President Vladimir Putin\u2019s military and intelligence networks.<\/p>\n BRITAIN SAYS RUSSIAN SPY SHIP IS ON EDGE OF UK WATERS, AS DEFENSE SECRETARY ISSUES WARNING TO PUTIN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Two suspected Russian spies entered the UK via cargo ships through Torquay, Middlesbrough and Grangemouth ports before visiting areas near military bases. (PAUL ELLIS\/AFP via Getty Images))<\/p>\n The pair are alleged to have accessed the country covertly by exploiting commercial shipping routes<\/a> rather than passing through heavily monitored border entry points.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n A senior NATO official responsible for protecting Europe\u2019s maritime waters told the outlet that intelligence agencies<\/a> had detected Russian operatives traveling on non-suspicious cargo vessels.<\/p>\n The official said those type of ships offer an ideal way of moving personnel discreetly.<\/p>\n US TURNS TO FINLAND TO CLOSE ARCTIC \u2018ICEBREAKER GAP\u2019 AS RUSSIA, CHINA EXPAND POLAR PRESENCE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Putin is testing the boundaries of NATO with aircraft incursions, allied states say. (Ramil Sitdikov\/Pool\/Reuters\u00a0)<\/p>\n “It would be the most natural place to move people around in that world, and we think it\u2019s going on,” the source said.<\/p>\n “They are not sailing on shadow fleet tankers, they are sailing on all [types of] ships,” the source claimed, adding that Russian agents had monitored and “tested European ports<\/a> to find weaknesses.”<\/p>\n One of the suspected operatives is reported to have entered the UK through Torquay in the South West after traveling from Finland.\u00a0<\/p>\n The second, previously seen in Moscow at an intelligence-linked facility, was suspected of traveling from Kaliningrad and entering via Middlesbrough and Grangemouth.<\/p>\n After spending time around the storage facility at Grangemouth, the second operative also traveled to Falkirk, where they visited a retail park.<\/p>\n![\"cargo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/british-cargo-ship-002.jpg\")
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