Dmitry Medvedev issues chilling warning after Moscow publishes a list of facilities near RAF Mildenhall and in London allegedly helping Ukraine’s war effort
Tom Parfitt
April 16, 2026
The Times
Russia has indicated that sites near RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and other locations in Britain are “potential targets” for Russian attacks as Ukraine seeks to boost its frontline position by striking agreements on drone production abroad.
A top official in Moscow said the premises of several enterprises in Britain and other European states could be in the crosshairs for Russian military assault because they are involved with manufacturing drones for Ukraine.
The locations include street addresses in Ruislip in west London, Leicester, and on a road that runs through the RAF base in Mildenhall, which is largely used by the United States Air Force.
The UK and other Nato states are increasing supplies of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to Ukraine and boosting co-operation with Kyiv over drone technology.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former president and deputy head of Russia’s security council, made the threat on Wednesday after the Russian military published a list of 23 sites in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and seven other countries which are allegedly either subsidiaries of Ukrainian drone producers or sites where components are made. “[The] Russian defence ministry’s statement must be taken literally: the list of European facilities which make drones and other equipment is a list of potential targets for the Russian armed forces,” Medvedev said on X. “When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!”
Russia’s armed forces blamed the West for the escalation, warning the leaders of Ukraine’s allies that they were “increasingly pulling these countries into war with Russia”.
Such sabre-rattling is the backdrop to a Ukrainian effort to expand its UAV capability, which hitherto has focused on shorter-range kamikaze drones that attack small units of infantry near the front.
In an interview, Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Kyiv appeared keen to expand its “midstrike” capability — meaning weapons that could counter Russian air-launched “glide bombs” landing 40 to 200km beyond the line of contact.
While supplies of drones and partnerships with European states were unlikely to prove a game-changer, Barrie said, “a greater diversity [of drones] complicates the defenders’ picture”, and longer-range drones would be welcome. “Production facilities abroad are obviously at less risk of being hit than those inside Ukraine,” he added.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, air, sea and land drones have emerged as a key capability for both sides as they seek advantage while reducing the risk of casualties.
President Zelensky of Ukraine said on Tuesday that “for the first time in the history of this war” the country’s army had captured a Russian position using only ground robotic systems and unmanned aerial vehicles. “The occupiers surrendered, and the operation was carried out without infantry and without losses on our side,” he said.
Russia has repeatedly accused Britain, the US and European states of fighting a proxy war against Moscow by sending weapons to Ukraine, including missiles, drones and ammunition.
The Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday that it would provide 120,000 drones to Ukraine, in the largest package of its kind ever supplied by the UK. The deal would include thousands of long-range strike drones, intelligence and reconnaissance drones, logistics drones and maritime capabilities, which were all “battle-proven on Ukraine’s frontline”, the MoD said.
Drones were proving critical to Ukrainian counter attacks across the frontline, it added, with Russia launching approximately 6,500 of its own one-way attack drones against Ukraine in March 2026, a significant increase on February’s total.
UK-based companies including Tekever, Windracers and Malloy Aeronautics will produce the majority of the drones for Ukraine. Britain has provided smaller amounts of drones to Kyiv in the past.
John Healey, the defence secretary, said Britain must keep up support for Ukraine despite the fact that “Putin wants us to be distracted” by events in the Middle East.
Ukraine’s armed forces confirmed on Thursday that the British drones had already begun arriving and were “strengthening our frontline”. While Ukraine manufactures the large majority of its own drones, foreign input has become increasingly important.
Ukrainian drone manufacturers announced a series of plans to open sites in Europe in recent months. The Russian defence ministry target list names Fire Point, a Ukrainian drone manufacturer already operating in Denmark, as having a facility on W Row Road in Mildenhall.
Ukrspecsystems, a Ukrainian specialist in reconnaissance drones, opened an assembly line in Mildenhall in February and plans to make up to 1,000 drones a month. The factory was inaugurated by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK and former army chief.
The UK defence industry is also making Ukrainian-designed Octopus interceptor drones for Kyiv, and the Netherlands said on Wednesday that it will spend €248 million euros (£216 million) on producing drones for Ukraine. That followed a deal with Germany on Tuesday to co-produce mid-strike drones.
Since March, Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine have noted that Ukrainian operators are using HX-2 drones made by the German company Helsing, which have a range of up to 100km, according to social media.
Analysts say such drones are needed as an economical alternative to expensive missile systems like the HIMARS in order to hit further behind Russian lines. The HX-2 uses AI technology to overcome jamming.
Tom Parfitt is a correspondent based in Moscow who writes for the British newspaper, The Guardian, and other international publications. Tom has lived and worked as a journalist in Russia since finishing an MA in politics and security at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, in 2002. He has travelled regularly to Chechnya, Ingushetia and other parts of the North Caucasus to report on armed conflict, terrorism and human rights abuses committed by Russian security forces.