Kyiv, October 6, 2025 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that British-made components have been discovered inside Russian drones used in recent attacks on Ukrainian cities, raising new questions about how Western technology continues to reach Moscow despite international sanctions.
Zelensky revealed the findings during a press briefing in Kyiv, where he accused Russia of exploiting loopholes in global export controls to acquire advanced foreign-made parts for its weapons program. He said Ukrainian investigators and defense experts had examined debris from several downed drones and found electronic and mechanical components produced by companies based in the United Kingdom.
“British-made elements were clearly identified in the remains of drones that attacked Odesa and Mykolaiv,” Zelensky said. “This is not about British companies directly supplying Russia, but about intermediaries and shadow supply chains that bypass sanctions. We call on all our partners to tighten control and stop the Kremlin from using Western technology to kill our people.”
The Ukrainian president said the findings were shared with British intelligence and other European allies as part of an ongoing investigation coordinated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). Officials believe the parts were originally exported to third countries before being re-routed to Russia through complex trading networks.
A senior Ukrainian defense official told Innovation Times that some of the recovered drones contained advanced navigation chips, voltage regulators, and engine components that bore serial markings consistent with British manufacturers. “These are dual-use items, meaning they can serve both civilian and military purposes,” the official said. “But when they end up in Iranian-designed drones used by Russia, it becomes a matter of global security.”
The revelation comes as Kyiv intensifies pressure on Western governments to strengthen enforcement of sanctions and close export loopholes that allow Moscow to sustain its war effort. Britain’s Ministry of Defence said it was reviewing the report and working with Ukrainian authorities to trace the supply chains involved.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said London was “deeply concerned” by the findings and reiterated its commitment to preventing sanctioned goods from reaching the Russian military-industrial complex. “We take these allegations extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said. “The UK has one of the toughest sanctions regimes in the world, and we are investigating any potential breaches.”
Russia has increasingly relied on imported technology to maintain its weapons production, particularly for drones and precision-guided munitions. Western intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that Russia uses intermediary nations in the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus to acquire restricted components.
Experts say the discovery underscores the challenges of fully isolating Russia’s military supply chains. “Even with strong sanctions, enforcement gaps persist,” said Dr. Emily Carver, a defense analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London. “Small, commercially available electronic parts are difficult to track once they leave their country of origin. Moscow’s procurement networks have become very sophisticated at disguising end-users.”
Ukraine has experienced a surge in drone attacks targeting power plants, ports, and logistics hubs in recent months. Many of these drones are believed to be Russian-modified versions of Iranian Shahed models, which rely heavily on Western-made electronics. Kyiv’s latest evidence adds pressure on Western manufacturers to tighten compliance and improve tracking of exported components.
Zelensky urged allied nations to establish a new international task force to monitor and intercept illicit technology transfers. “Every microchip, every circuit board that reaches Russia extends this war,” he said. “Sanctions must not only exist on paper; they must work in reality.”
British lawmakers have also called for urgent parliamentary scrutiny of the issue. Opposition MPs demanded a review of export licensing procedures and closer cooperation with NATO partners to prevent further misuse of UK-made technology in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The revelations are expected to spark diplomatic discussions between Kyiv, London, and Brussels in the coming days. Both Ukraine and the United Kingdom have vowed to strengthen their defense and intelligence collaboration as Russia continues to escalate drone and missile strikes across Ukrainian territory.
For Ukraine, the discovery of British-made components in enemy weapons highlights a growing concern that the global sanctions regime remains porous more than three years into the full-scale invasion. For Britain, it is a stark reminder that even the most robust export controls can be undermined by covert networks that thrive in the shadows of global trade.
