British-built drones have reportedly been used by Ukrainian forces to strike targets deep inside Russia, marking a significant expansion of Kyiv’s ability to take the war to Moscow’s industrial and logistics infrastructure.
Ukrainian military sources told The Times that unmanned systems produced by two British companies have been deployed over the past six months against targets including oil refineries, logistics facilities and transport infrastructure.
The strikes have reached as far as Volgograd and the Moscow region, where Ukrainian drones have increasingly targeted the infrastructure supporting Russia’s war economy.
One of the systems identified is the Nyan drone, built in Wiltshire by Callen-Lenz, a subsidiary of BAE Systems, and previously tested by the Royal Navy. The 2.9-metre-wingspan aircraft has a range of more than 150 miles and was reportedly used against a target in Belgorod.
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Callen-Lenz confirmed that it provides capabilities to the Ministry of Defence as part of Britain’s support for Ukraine, describing Nyan as a rapidly developed system designed for contested environments.
A second British-made drone reportedly used by Ukraine has a range exceeding 600 miles and can be launched rapidly using a catapult system.
The disclosures underline the increasingly intimate nature of Britain’s military relationship with Ukraine. London has supplied Storm Shadow cruise missiles, while British funding has also supported Kyiv’s acquisition of long-range missiles, air defence systems and drones.
The significance extends beyond individual weapons. Ukraine’s growing fleet of long-range unmanned aircraft is allowing it to attack refineries, warehouses and logistics networks far beyond the immediate battlefield, imposing costs on Russia’s economy while forcing Moscow to divert air-defence resources to protect its rear areas.
On Sunday, Moscow said it had faced one of its largest drone assaults of the war, with hundreds of Ukrainian aircraft reportedly involved. A Wildberries logistics facility near the capital was subsequently engulfed by fire.
The escalation is likely to further complicate Britain’s already deteriorating relationship with Moscow. Russian vessels have increasingly operated near UK waters, while Britain’s defence leadership has warned that the threat posed by Russia is at its highest level since the Cold War.
“Russia has been very effective at keeping the West nervous about hitting it too hard,” one defence source told The Times. “These attacks mean the UK is effectively signalling to Russia and our allies that we’re not nervous any more.”
There is an irony in Britain’s growing role in Ukraine’s drone campaign. British-made components have previously been found inside Russian drones used against Ukrainian targets, prompting Volodymyr Zelensky to demand tighter sanctions on companies whose technology reaches Russia.
The battlefield has therefore become a technological supply chain stretching across Europe.
For Moscow, the message is increasingly difficult to ignore: weapons developed and tested in Britain are now helping Ukraine carry the war deep into Russian territory.
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