Ukraine uses British-made jet drones to strike deep inside Russia - The Times

Which drones Ukraine is using

According to The Times, drones from two British companies have been used in deep strikes on Russia over the past six months.

One of them is the Nyan jet drone (Nyan Maritime One Way Effector), manufactured by Callen-Lenz, a subsidiary of BAE Systems. The devices are assembled in Wiltshire and were previously tested by the British Royal Navy. The Nyan's range exceeds 240 kilometers, and its wingspan is 2.9 meters.

The Times does not disclose the name of the second drone type for security reasons — it is only known that its range exceeds 960 kilometers. BAE Systems has officially confirmed to The Sunday Times that it supplies a range of capabilities to the UK Ministry of Defence as part of support for Kyiv.

According to The Times, information on the use of British drones was provided to the publication by sources in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. One interlocutor noted that the vast majority of long-range strikes are carried out by Ukraine using domestically produced drones, but British drones are also successfully used for such attacks.

Targets already struck

British drones have taken part in attacks on oil refining and military facilities deep inside Russia. In particular, following a strike on July 31, an oil refinery in Volgograd halted processing, and on August 6, drones damaged storage tanks at a refinery in Yaroslavl.

A senior source in the UK Ministry of Defence told The Times that such strikes mean London no longer fears Moscow's reaction to such support for Kyiv. At the same time, retired British Air Marshal Greg Bagwell warned that the use of British drones against Russia gives Moscow grounds to consider the manufacturers of such systems in Britain as legitimate targets.

Attacks on Russia's oil refining industry have continued throughout the summer of 2026. One of the key targets remains the Yaroslavl refinery Slavneft-YANOS, which the SBU struck again on August 6, together with coast guard vessels in Kerch — the facility is among the five largest oil refineries in Russia, with a capacity of approximately 15 million tons of oil per year.

Overall, since the beginning of August, strikes on Russia's fuel infrastructure have become systematic: according to Bloomberg, Ukraine has attacked nearly a third of Russia's major refineries, hitting 10 out of 34 facilities, mostly linked to the largest Russian oil producers, once again putting pressure on Russia's fuel supply.