Warum Putin Spione in Großbritannien braucht – und wie er ohne sie scheitern wird

The Kremlin has effectively proven its ability to hire low-level foreign proxies to carry out its dirty work across Europe. But Russian President [Vladimir Putin ](https://inews.co.uk/topic/vladimir-putin?srsltid=AfmBOoq-5PK0tVbHJc5lK4adeBGQUhyjxI7ZgpT9bj9rEhTLlsPr4_uL&ico=in-line_link)still needs his homegrown spies on the continent.

Motivated by money, coercion or extortion, low-level criminals – and often Brits – working on the Kremlin’s orders have carried out sabotage attacks across the country, setting fires to depots and businesses supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia.

A flurry of arrests by UK counter-terror police this year exposed Russia’s ability to mobilise members of the European public, often in nations opposed to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. But it’s clear the Russian President still relies on his trained spies across the continent. 

On Wednesday, *The i Paper* revealed how [Russia is smuggling suspected intelligence operatives into the UK on cargo ships](https://inews.co.uk/news/suspected-russian-spies-entered-uk-using-cargo-ships-4049755?ico=in-line_link). In the Spring and Summer, two suspected spies used such transport to enter Britain before visiting areas with military bases and critical infrastructure.

The clandestine movement of suspected Russian operatives into the country, while harrowing, offers an insight into the Kremlin’s ambition to get its skilled spies past less rigorous security checks at Europe’s borders.

During the [Cold War](https://inews.co.uk/topic/cold-war?srsltid=AfmBOoqGzNbBmSCpAalDCqxnDkB2Pqdo_MzgCOezmr0jtCEQ6Y_xebop&ico=in-line_link), Soviet spy recruitment was primarily about recruiting assets inside the UK security services or other British institutions. Or, planting a country’s own operatives inside a target nation to gather useful intelligence. But in the era of Putin’s hybrid warfare, agent employment has changed tactics.

Tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions have hampered intelligence capabilities both in London and Moscow.

Since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the UK has expelled 24 Russian intelligence officials and sanctioned more than 2,900 individuals connected to the country. This, experts claim, has significantly hampered the Kremlin’s ability to skilfully draw secrets from its enemies.