A high-level Kremlin adviser has warned that British factories manufacturing drones for Ukraine could face targeting by "unknown sources" as tensions escalate over UK support for Kyiv.
Andrei Fedorov, a former deputy foreign minister for Russia and adviser to Vladimir Putin, said he could not "100% exclude" the prospect of "semi-military" action directed at Britain. Speaking on BBC Newsnight, he said the UK could face "some visible reaction from Russia" as Prime Minister Andy Burnham travelled to Kyiv.
Reaction 'sooner or later'
Fedorov said: "Sooner or later, there might be not only verbal, but maybe some visible reaction from Russia towards the UK." Asked to elaborate, he described possible measures including "technical reaction", "hackers attack from unknown source, not from official level of course", and "different political steps".
Pressed to define "semi-military", he said: "For example, something might happen with enterprises, with the factories which are producing drones for Ukraine, etc etc."
UK drone production hubs
The UK Government says it has worked with over 30 companies across the UK to scale up innovative drone technology to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs. One production hub is TEKEVER in Swindon, the largest publicly announced UK drone factory relevant to Ukraine. Located in the Grade II* listed Spectrum Building, the 254,000-square-foot site serves as a core hub for producing AR3 EVO and AR5 unmanned aerial systems.
Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems opened a major £200 million manufacturing facility in Mildenhall, Suffolk, UK, in February 2026 to build surveillance drones like the PD-2 and Shark. However, Ukrspecsystems has yet to become fully operational because it has not received approval to export technology.
Missile blueprint decision
Meanwhile, the UK has agreed to declassify blueprints for British-made components for the Scalp missile, a French-produced version of the Storm Shadow that has already been used to hit targets in Russia. That decision has drawn strong condemnation from Russia, with President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying it would add "fuel to the fire" of the conflict.
But Mr Burnham told reporters in Kyiv: "Who started the fire? That's the question, isn't it?" Making his first international visit, the Prime Minister urged Ukraine's allies to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv as Ukraine struggles under continued Russian bombardment.
