UK to Supply Ukraine with £752M for 150,000 Drones, Air Defense

The United Kingdom has announced a £752 million (about $996 million) military aid package for Ukraine, including 150,000 drones, more than 350 air-defense missiles, and radar systems.

According to the UK’s Ministry of Defence, the package is funded by the UK’s £2.26 billion (about $2.99 billion) Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loan to Ukraine, with delivery of all equipment expected by the end of 2026.

This package of drones, air defense missiles and radar will help “protect innocent Ukrainian people from [Kremlin leader Vladimir] Putin’s barrage of drones and missiles,” UK Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said.

The announcement came during the NATO Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Brussels, where representatives from nearly 50 countries gathered under the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. The meeting focused on Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs and long-term military resilience as Russian attacks on both state and civilian infrastructure continue.

The package includes Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) and ground-based radar systems, which are “critical for defending Ukraine,” the ministry said.

The move follows additional UK commitments announced at the G7 summit in France on Monday, including £210 million (about $278 million) in energy support for Ukraine’s nuclear infrastructure and 70 new sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet and military supply chains. 

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“This funding is helping deliver the vital military equipment Ukraine needs as it defends itself against Russia’s unprovoked war,” the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said, adding that the UK will continue doing all it can “to keep pressure on Russia.”

The Defence Secretary also confirmed that the UK will take command of the Multinational Force for Ukraine Headquarters (MNF-U). 

“Major General Tom Bateman will assume command next month, in the rank of Lieutenant General, leading the multinational team responsible for coordinating support to Ukraine and helping prepare for long-term regeneration of Ukraine’s Armed Forces in the event of a peace deal,” the ministry said.

UK seizures Russian shadow fleet vessel for the first time

“The UK is putting pressure on Putin to negotiate,” the Defence Ministry said, adding that the intent was “illustrated by the major military operation to interdict the Smyrtos vessel in the early hours of Sunday morning.”

The seizure marked the UK’s first direct military interdiction of a sanctioned Russian vessel in its own waters. The operation lasted six hours, acting on direct orders from Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Smyrtos was diverted to an anchorage off England’s south coast, where authorities began inspecting it for environmental and security risks – a move London framed as a major step in tightening sanctions enforcement against Russia.

Russian warship fires warning shots at British civilian yacht

On Tuesday morning, the Russian frigate “Admiral Grigorovich” fired warning shots at a British-flagged civilian yacht in the English Channel, after the yacht reportedly drifted too close to the warship in what seemed to be an accidental encounter.

UK authorities said two Royal Navy patrol vessels – HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne – were already shadowing the Russian ship, which has been operating near British waters since April, escorting more than a dozen of sanctioned Russian shadow tankers through the Channel.

The incident marked the second in three days involving a Russian ship near British waters, with NATO said it is closely monitoring the situation.