Ukrainian forces have used British-made drones for the first time to carry out long-range strikes on Russian territory. This was reported on 16 August 2026 by the British newspaper The Sunday Times, citing several sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian government.
According to the newspaper, drones from two British companies have been employed over the past six months in deep-strike operations. Among the targets were oil refineries in Volgograd and Yaroslavl.
One of the systems used is the jet-powered Nyan drone (Nyan Maritime One Way Effector), produced by Callen-Lenz, a subsidiary of BAE Systems. These drones are manufactured in Wiltshire and have been tested by the British Royal Navy. Their range exceeds 240 km. The name of the second type of drone, capable of flying more than 960 km, has not been disclosed for security reasons.
Sources confirm that British drones took part in strikes against industrial and military facilities, including oil refineries. After the attack on 31 July, the Volgograd refinery halted oil processing, and on 6 August drones damaged storage tanks at the Yaroslavl refinery.
Retired British Air Marshal Greg Bagwell noted that the use of British drones against Russia could give Moscow grounds to regard companies in the United Kingdom that produce such systems as “legitimate targets.”
