New details have emerged suggesting Russian involvement in the flying of swarms of drones over military airbases in the region with agents suspected of posing as fruit pickers to plan the operation.
An investigation into the incidents last November - which saw several reports of unidentified aerial objects buzzing RAF Mildenhall, RAF Lakenheath and RAF Feltwell - has identified three people with links to the country who travelled to the area in the period before the incursions.
One was said to be just metres from the perimeter of one of the bases during one of the incidents.
At least two of them are understood to have got jobs as fruit pickers in surrounding fields as they planned and reconnoitred the sites and UK intelligence agencies are investigating suggestions that they recruited Brits to fly the drones.
The investigation, which used open-source geolocation data, claims:
- One individual, who had regularly attended the Russian Embassy over the last year, flew into Britain in early May and was metres from RAF Mildenhall's perimeter fence at a time when drones were sighted overhead in November.
- Another individual, who was present at Russia’s largest military facility in Tajikistan in February 2024, and who also arrived in the UK in May, visited remote areas around the base on several occasions before returning to the Russian military base within two months of the drone sightings;
- A third person - who had access to a Moscow facility run by the GRU, a military intelligence unit, during 2023 - flew into Stansted airport last August and visited areas around RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall throughout September and October; this individual then returned to Russia, via Turkey, and spent time in a military district on the outskirts of Moscow.
The claims come at a time of heightened international tension with Russia, as a rift grows between the US and other Western allies over Donald Trump's attempts to negotiate directly with Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine.
Investigators claim that at least two of the individuals they have identified worked as seasonal fruit pickers near the airbases and visited fields near the military sites at night.
The investigators also say UK intelligence is looking into suspicions that the Russian agents recruited Brits to actually fly the drones over the military sites.
The incidents, which occurred over the course of several nights in November, saw 60 British troops deployed to the bases near the Norfolk-Suffolk border and a multi-agency investigation launched amid speculation the drones may have been used for reconnaissance missions.
Similar sightings were reported at RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire, as well as in Denmark, Germany and the US.
RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, both in Suffolk, are two of the biggest US airbases in Europe. RAF Feltwell, in Norfolk, plays a major intelligence and logistics role.
Collectively, the three nearby bases represent one of the most important US military sites in Europe.
Military analysts say that if Russia was behind the incidents, it would have been designed to demonstrate the country's ability to operate freely within a Nato country and to foster tensions between the UK and US.
They say the authorities in both countries were forced to respond to the incursions, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds and dollars, while also potentially disrupting training and operations.
“We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites.”
Separately, a Freedom of Information request to Norfolk Police has revealed that officers were deployed to RAF Feltwell during the scares, following reports of aerial activity.
A spokesman for the force said: "We work in partnership with other Home Office Forces and Public Authorities when required to do so."
A senior former British military intelligence official has said the evidence collected by the latest investigation suggests Russian "grey area activity" - a term for espionage operations launched when two countries are neither at peace nor direct war.
'FRUIT PICKERS ARE THE PERFECT COVER'
The UK relies on migrant fruit pickers in the UK, with thousands arriving every year on seasonal visas to harvest crops.
Matthew Dunn, a former MI6 intelligence officer with experience in field operations and the recruitment and running of “agents” said working as fruit pickers would provide a “perfect cover” which is indicative of Russian intelligence tradecraft.
He said: “If you are going to be operating in a rural area such as that part of Suffolk then you need to look the part, and taking on a cover of a fruit picker makes perfect sense."
The investigation - details of which have been published by the i newspaper - used so-called open source information.
This involves combing through disparate data sources - financial documents, airline reservations, mobile phone records, social media postings, and location data - to track the 'digital footprint' of individuals.
The newspaper said that sources had shared specific information with it about the airbase incidents in the interest of further protecting national security by raising the public’s awareness to the scale of suggested foreign interference in the UK.
It cannot be confirmed that the suspected Russian agents were employed as fruit pickers but the evidence suggests this is the case due to location data showing them spending many days and weeks moving through nearby fields in a manner suggesting they were fruit picking.
There is no suggestion of illegal or improper activity by any company or farm where the individuals may have worked.
Intelligence sources believe Russian intelligence recruitment is becoming increasingly successful in Britain and it is thought low-level criminals motivated by money, ideology and coercion are increasingly becoming involved.
In 2024, Jake Reeves, a 22-year-old British man, admitted carrying out a Russian-instigated arson which burnt down a London business with links to Ukraine.
Terry Jermy, MP for South West Norfolk, believes more needs to be done to stop this trend.
He said: "This demands an immediate investigation and reassurance for local residents.
“The Kremlin being able to recruit agents living in the UK is deeply disappointing. Putin's aggression must not be appeased at home or abroad.
"More widely it highlights the need for furthering ties with our Nato allies.”
It is not the first time Russian espionage has been detected in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Spy chief, Orlin Roussev, 47, a Kremlin agent, has admitted running a spy ring from a seaside guest house in Great Yarmouth.
Suspected co-conspirators are still on trial.
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