Ukraine Uses British-Made Drones in Deep Strikes Inside Russia for First Time — Times

Ukraine has used British-made drones in deep-strike missions against targets inside Russia for the first time, marking a new development in military cooperation between Kyiv and London, according to The Sunday Times.

The British newspaper reported that the drones have been used in Ukrainian attacks over the past six months against targets including oil refineries in Volgograd and Yaroslavl, near Moscow.

Nyan Drone Among Weapons Used
One of the British systems reportedly used in the strikes is the Nyan, a jet-powered drone developed by Callen-Lenz, a subsidiary of BAE Systems.

The Nyan is designed for long-range attack missions and has previously been tested by the British military.

According to The Times, another British-made drone, whose manufacturer has not been publicly identified for security reasons, has also been used in Ukraine’s long-range operations.

The newspaper reported that the second system has a range of more than 600 miles, while some British-supplied drones can reach considerably farther than conventional Western missiles.

Ukraine Still Relies Mainly on Domestic Drones

Despite the growing use of British systems, Ukraine continues to rely primarily on Ukrainian-produced drones for its deep-strike campaign.

A senior Ukrainian military source told
The Times that Ukrainian forces have nevertheless achieved significant success with the newer British hardware.

The growing use of long-range drones has allowed Ukraine to repeatedly target Russian military, industrial, energy and logistics infrastructure far beyond the immediate battlefield.

The Times reported that Ukrainian forces conducted almost 700 successful deep-strike missions between January and June, targeting sites across dozens of Russian regions.

British Support Raises Escalation Concerns

The use of British-made weapons against targets deep inside Russia could further increase tensions between Moscow and London.

British military and defence sources have warned that Russia could respond through increased espionage, cyberattacks or other forms of hybrid activity against British interests.

The British government has continued to support Ukraine’s drone programme, announcing plans to provide a large number of drones to Kyiv during 2026.

For now, Ukraine’s deep-strike campaign continues to combine domestically produced systems with increasingly sophisticated Western-supplied technology, giving Kyiv additional options for striking targets deep inside Russian territory.