'Rogue drones' targeted Royal Navy, Army and RAF sites hundreds of times amid Russia tensions
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Tensions with the Kremlin have been growing given British support to Ukraine and increased sanctions
British military sites have been targeted by drones hundreds of times in the last year amid escalating tensions with Russia and Iran, new figures show.
A Freedom of Information request by the Independent showed 340 security incidents involving drones at or near Ministry of Defence sites in the UK in the year up to August 2026. In 2025, there were 250 incidents recorded, nearly double the 126 a year earlier.
It comes as the Kremlin warned British military facilities in Ukraine would be considered “legitimate targets” if they are used to support long-range strikes against Russia. In a comment, the Ministry of Defence did not say who was behind the threats, but the incidents have taken place in a year of escalating issues with Russia and Iran.
Conservative former defence minister and army veteran Tobias Ellwood said the drone threats in the UK showed the British military is viewed “as a target”. He told the Independent: “In the UK we are doing nothing about protecting our critical national infrastructure, as well as military bases, and it’s such an easy way to disrupt.
“At the moment these are just rogue drones, and they’re passive, but it’s not a huge step to then add a kinetic dimension to them to make them introduce lethality. All this points to the fact that we are not taking the rise in threat levels that our European cousins are addressing seriously at all.”
Mr Ellwood illustrated his point in the summer by flying an aircraft over both Royal Navy aircraft carriers - HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth - while they were stationed at HMNB Portsmouth. He previously said he couldn’t think of any other country that would allow this.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “National security is the first duty of Government. The public should be reassured that the UK and its allies remain vigilant against potential threats and adversaries should be in no doubt about this Government’s resolve to stand against aggression towards the UK and our allies.”
They added that Russia is “constantly probing us and testing” the UK. It said the Government does not believe Vladimir Putin is looking for a “direct confrontation” with Nato.
The UK has a mixture of air defence capabilities, including through the Royal Navy, British Army and the Royal Air Force. The Ministry of Defence has allocated £790m to spent on anti-drone, and anti-missile threats in the UK and near bases overseas.
It came as the Russian foreign ministry summoned the UK’s deputy head of mission in Moscow, Danae Dholakia, to complain about British support for Ukraine in the war triggered by Mr Putin’s invasion four years ago. The senior diplomat was warned that Russia could take “retaliatory measures” in response.
The Foreign Office hit back and said Russia was trying to “deflect attention” from its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and said it would not be dissuaded from arming Kyiv.
Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, warned on Thursday before that Moscow is planning hybrid strikes with drones or rockets on European countries supporting Kyiv, among them Poland.
A statement issued by the Russian foreign ministry said Ms Dholakia was “issued a strong protest” over the supply of drones and other weapons systems to Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces in Ukraine.
“It was emphasised that in light of the United Kingdom’s policy, the Russian side reserves the right to take necessary retaliatory measures as part of the exercise of the right to self-defence,” the statement said.
“It was confirmed that any British facilities in Ukraine that are used to strike the Russian territory shall be considered a legitimate target. It was stressed that full responsibility for any possible further adverse development of the situation lies with London.”
However, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “This is yet another attempt to deflect attention from Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine and discredit the UK on the world stage. We are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself and will not let up on our support to secure a just and lasting peace.”
The UK has committed to provide more than 120,000 drones to Ukraine this year, with 25,000 delivered to date, a figure set to increase ahead of the winter. These include interceptors that take out Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and attack drones that help Ukraine hit back.
The UK has also agreed recently that defence firm MBDA can release classified information on components for the Storm Shadow long-range missile, which has been used to hit Russian targets, so Ukraine can start manufacturing the weapons locally.