The UK has arrested two men and a woman for allegedly spying for Russia in Grays, Essex.
The arrest coincided with US President Donald Trump’s historic second state visit to the UK, with support for Ukraine among the key topics discussed between the heads of state.
The Telegraph, citing information from Scotland Yard, reported the arrest on Thursday, adding that the two men – aged 41 and 46 – and a 35-year-old woman were arrested at different addresses.
Their nationality was not disclosed.
The outlet said the three were arrested for “assisting a foreign intelligence service” based on Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023, with Scotland Yard confirming the foreign country in question is Russia.
Investigation is ongoing, and the three have been released on police bail with conditions.
Head of Counter Terrorism Command Dominic Murphy noted the increased espionage in the UK staged by Moscow in a comment quoted by The Telegraph.
“Through our recent national security casework, we’re seeing an increasing number of who we would describe as ‘proxies’ being recruited by foreign intelligence services,” Murphy said.
Murphy then referenced another case in which British citizens were hired by Russian intelligence to carry out arson on British soil.
“Indeed, two young British men are awaiting sentencing after they were recruited by the Wagner Group – effectively the Russian state – to carry out an arson at a Ukrainian-linked warehouse,” Murphy said.
“They are facing potentially lengthy custodial sentences, although, to be clear, today’s arrests are in no way connected to that investigation,” he added.
The BBC reported in July that three men – not two – were found guilty in the Wagner-related arson case.
Russian espionage has seen an uptick in Europe – including the UK – following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow increasingly relying on spies without diplomatic covers known as residents.
In May, the UK sentenced six Bulgarians to prison for spying on behalf of Moscow in a case described as one of the “largest and most complex” enemy operations ever uncovered in Great Britain.
In late 2024, Richard Moore, head of the UK Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, also known as MI6), noted an uptick in Russian spies but did not disclose the nature of their operations.
“We have recently uncovered a staggeringly reckless campaign of Russian sabotage in Europe, even as Putin and his acolytes resort to nuclear saber-rattling to sow fear about the consequences of aiding Ukraine and challenge Western resolve,” Moore said in a speech in Paris.