Russian propagandist and close Putin ally Vladimir Solovyov has called for strikes on British drone manufacturing facilities. Speaking on his radio show Full Contact, Solovyov suggested the UK should face consequences for supplying drones to Ukraine, which have been used in long-range attacks deep into Russian territory.
Kyiv has escalated its attacks on Russia this year, deploying long-range missiles and swarms of drones against military industries and energy facilities. Ukraine has also targeted large depots for Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, burning billions of pounds of merchandise and bringing the war home to the Russian public more than four years into Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Solovyov's warning and Russia's embassy statement
Solovyov said: "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?" He added: "England, why are we yet to carry out the strikes against the factories that produce the drones for the strikes against our territory?"
His comments follow a statement from Russia's embassy this week accusing Britain of "seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy." The embassy added: "London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer. The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kyiv's terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay."
UK response and drone manufacturing sites
In response, Andy Burnham said: "This is the UK doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100% against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin. We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that's been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers. It remains the case with me. We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine's hour of need, and that won't change."
There is no single national site for drone manufacturing in the UK, as production is spread across numerous aerospace and defence contractors. Swindon alone is home to nine separate drone companies. The Wiltshire town is regarded as the principal manufacturing base, with well-established operations already in place alongside further agreements to expand capacity, according to the Express.
Current and incoming firms in Swindon include German defence technology company Stark, Tekever, Neros Technologies, DSEI Flyby, and Munin Dynamics, as well as Europe's largest indoor drone testing facility, the Uncrewed Systems Centre at Panattoni Park. Elsewhere, firms such as Windracers and Malloy Aeronautics construct tactical, logistics, and reconnaissance systems across a range of specialist UK aerospace sites.
Ukrainian and Scottish drone production
Major Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems runs a £200 million production and testing facility in Suffolk, constructing combat-proven reconnaissance platforms such as the PD-2 and Shark UAVs. Specialised defence contractors and developers, such as Callen-Lenz, construct and test tactical uncrewed air systems in rural and military-adjacent test sites across southern England. In Scotland, regional commercial and bespoke UAV manufacturers like the Edinburgh Drone Company design and construct specialised fixed-wing and multi-rotor drones near Edinburgh.
This is not the first warning from Russia over its provision of drone technology and Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.
