Moscow threatens UK over supply of drones to Ukraine

Moscow has warned the UK it will pay a "price" for supplying Kiev's army with British drones used in strikes deep inside Russian territory, the Sunday Times reported. The Russian embassy in London accused the British government of being "complicit" in the attacks and aiming to escalate the conflict. The British response was not long in coming. “The UK stands with Ukraine and is committed to providing the equipment needed to defend against Putin's illegal invasion,” a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said.

Ukraine's military has been using British-made drones for strikes deep into Russian territory for the past six months. Among the models used is the Nyan, produced by the armaments giant Bae Systems, as well as a second model whose name was not disclosed for security reasons. Kiev mainly uses domestically produced drones in long-range missions, but the armed forces have also achieved significant results with British drones. Among the targets hit by the unmanned aerial vehicles supplied by London are oil refineries near Moscow, in Yaroslavl and in Volgograd. The use of British technology for strikes deep into Russian territory has been known for some time: Ukraine has already employed Storm Shadow cruise missiles.