British-made drones built by two separate companies have been used in Ukraine’s strikes on targets inside Russia for the first time, the BBC has reported.
The drones have been deployed against military and industrial sites, including refineries and warehouses belonging to online retailer Wildberries. The Sunday Times first reported their use, saying the strikes had caused more than £35bn in economic damage.
A military source confirmed to the BBC that UK-built drones had been used. British-made Storm Shadow missiles have previously been used in the war, but the new drone campaign was described as having a more decisive impact.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, has previously said drones using UK components and configurations had been used against Russian territory, including a fuel depot in the Kamensky district of the Rostov region.
In April, the UK Ministry of Defence said it would supply Ukraine with tens of thousands of drones, including long-range strike devices, in its largest drone package for the country. The ministry said it would provide more than 150,000 drones this year, alongside Stone Cloak devices intended to hinder Russian air defences and low-cost cruise missiles.
On Sunday, Moscow’s mayor said about 600 Ukrainian drones had been launched towards the city overnight. He said roughly a third had been destroyed and that three people were injured. A Wildberries warehouse was among the sites hit.
Wildberries, often described as Russia’s version of Amazon, has been repeatedly targeted since July. Kyiv said at the time that it was targeting logistics hubs used to purchase military equipment and seeking to disrupt supplies to the Russian army.
