European companies manufacturing drones for Ukrainian army: Defense Ministry report

Lead

The Russian Defense Ministry has published a list of names and addresses of European companies that it says produce drones for Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory, warning that the expansion of such production risks escalating the military-political situation on the continent. The move has been accompanied by explicit threats from senior Russian officials, who have described these facilities as potential targets for the Russian armed forces.

Coverage Comparison

All five reports on this story come from TASS, the Russian state news agency, and thus share a common source and perspective. The articles uniformly present the Russian government's position without independent verification or counterpoints from Western or Ukrainian officials. The coverage focuses on official statements from the Defense Ministry, Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, and Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin. No independent confirmation of the claims, such as the existence or locations of the named enterprises, has been provided.

Key Claims

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, as reported by TASS, the ministry has identified branches of Ukrainian companies producing drones for strikes on Russia in eight European countries, including cities such as London, Munich, Prague, and Riga. The ministry listed specific companies and locations, including Fire Point and Horizon Tech in the UK (London, Mildenhall, Leicester), Davinci Avia and Airlogistics in Germany (Munich), Kort in Denmark (Stoevring), Lithuania (Vilnius), Terminal Autonomy in Latvia (Riga), Destinus in the Netherlands (Hengelo), Antonov State Enterprise and Ukrspecsystems in Poland (Mielec, Tarnow), and DeViRo in the Czech Republic (Prague, Kolin). These enterprises are said to produce drone models such as FP-1, FP-2, Sticker, Da Vinci, Anubis, HaKi AK-1000, AQ-400 Kosa, Ruta, An-196 Lyuty, RAM-2X, and Bulava.

The ministry also claimed that components for Ukrainian drones are manufactured by companies in Germany, Turkey, Israel, Spain, Italy, and the Czech Republic. The reports state that the ministry's decision to publicize this information was driven by the belief that "the European public should both clearly understand the true reasons of threats to their security and know the addresses and locations of 'Ukrainian' and 'joint' enterprises producing UAVs and components for Ukraine on the territory of their countries."

The Russian Defense Ministry asserted that on March 26, 2026, "the leadership of a number of European countries made a decision amid rising losses and worsening manpower shortages in the Ukrainian armed forces to increase the production and supply of UAVs to Ukraine for strikes on Russian territory." The ministry views this as "a deliberate move leading to an escalation of the military-political situation" and a "creeping transformation" of those countries into "Ukraine's strategic support base." The ministry further warned that "the implementation of scenarios involving Ukrainian terrorist attacks against Russia using UAVs manufactured in Europe leads to unpredictable consequences."

Perspectives

Russian Officials: Warnings and Threats

Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the Defense Ministry's list "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. When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!" His statement, as reported by TASS, underscores the Kremlin's intent to treat these production sites as legitimate military objectives.

Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, speaking on April 16, reminded Finland and the Baltic states of Russia's right to self-defense in response to drone attacks, citing a recent increase in incidents involving Ukrainian drones allegedly launching strikes on Russia via those countries. This statement was reported by TASS as part of a broader pattern of Russian military rhetoric.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, when asked whether the statements by Medvedev and Shoigu represented the Kremlin's official stance, said: "The position here was outlined in the corresponding statement from the Defense Ministry. And I have nothing to add to this statement," according to TASS.

Russian Ambassador to London: A Softer Tone

In an interview with the BBC, Russian Ambassador to London Andrey Kelin expressed hope that the list would dissuade European leaders from escalating the Ukraine conflict. "I do believe that there are reasonable people, not only on our side, but also in the United Kingdom, who will not allow any further increase of tension in Europe," he said. "We should all think about dialogue, about negotiations, but here, in London, they do not want to enter in a dialogue at all." His remarks, as reported by TASS, suggest a desire to avoid further confrontation despite the threats from other officials.

Context and Caveats

The claims made by the Russian Defense Ministry have not been independently verified. TASS is a state-controlled news agency, and all reports in this story are drawn solely from Russian official sources. The existence of the named companies, the production of drones for Ukraine, and the specific claims about European leaders' decisions remain unconfirmed by Western governments, Ukrainian authorities, or the companies themselves. The original publication date is April 2026, and no later developments or corrections have been reported in these extracts.