A Russian propagandist and close ally of Vladimir Putin has issued a chilling threat to target Britain's drone manufacturing facilities, nine of which are in one town. TV and radio host Vladimir Solovyov suggested that the UK should face repercussions for supplying drones to Ukraine, which have been used in long-range attacks on Russian territory.
Solovyov's Threat on Full Contact
During his radio show Full Contact, he declared: "The British are openly saying that these are their drones; then why are we yet to destroy factories in Britain? Because something will happen? What else has to happen? Will Britain use all of its might that it doesn't have? England, why are we yet to carry out the strikes against the factories that produce the drones for the strikes against our territory?"
While there is no exact national figure for drone manufacturing plants in the UK as production is spread across various aerospace and defence contractors, Swindon alone is home to nine separate drone companies.
Swindon's Role as a Drone Hub
The Wiltshire town is seen as the main production hub, with established operations and additional agreements to set up more facilities. Its current and incoming businesses include German defence technology firm Stark, Tekever, Neros Technologies, DSEI Flyby, and Munin Dynamics, plus Europe's largest indoor drone testing facility, the Uncrewed Systems Centre at Panattoni Park.
Swindon's most globally infamous feature is arguably its road engineering. Having opened in 1972, the "Magic Roundabout" consists of five mini-roundabouts arranged around a central, anti-clockwise roundabout. It is largely hated across the UK, and to quote the Daily Star's own editor Andy Gilpin: "I got spat out in a random place after I went on that."
Other Potential Targets Across the UK
Other Putin targets outside of Swindon could include companies such as Windracers and Malloy Aeronautics, which produce tactical, logistics, and reconnaissance systems across various specialised UK aerospace facilities. Major Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems runs a £200 million production and testing facility in Suffolk, developing battle-tested reconnaissance platforms such as the PD-2 and Shark UAVs. Specialised defence contractors and developers like Callen-Lenz build and test tactical unmanned air systems in rural and military-adjacent test sites across southern England. In Scotland, regional commercial and bespoke UAV manufacturers such as the Edinburgh Drone Company design and produce specialised fixed-wing and multi-rotor drones near Edinburgh.
This isn't the first time Russia has issued a warning over the UK providing Ukraine with drone technology and Storm Shadow missiles. The Russian Embassy previously stated, "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer."
