UK sends drone countermeasure experts to Moldova to boost defence
The latest meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, attended by more than 50 nations, including US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, will be co-chaired by German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and his UK counterpart, John Healey.
Mr Healey is expected to urge allies to "accelerate drone production to stop Putin's expansion," following the intensification of drone attacks in Ukraine and dangerous incursions into Europe.
The UK Ministry of Defence said that over 85,000 military drones had been delivered to Ukraine in just six months this year, via accelerated production by British companies and support for jobs both in the UK and Ukraine. Stockpiles include tens of thousands of short-range First-Person View (FPV) attack drones, which are essential for supporting the Ukrainian frontline. These drones are used for precision strikes, reconnaissance, and disrupting Russian activities behind the front lines, countering Russian tactics of mass drone usage.
Last month in Kyiv, John Healey and his Ukrainian counterpart, Denis Shmyhal, signed an unprecedented industrial partnership, through which the UK is jointly developing an interceptor drone with Ukraine, already used to protect civilians and critical infrastructure from Russian drone attacks.
New data collected from the Ukrainian battlefield is already being implemented to help mass-produce the Octopus interceptor drone, with the goal of supplying thousands of improved interceptor drones back to Ukraine every month.
"Putin's dangerous escalation in Ukraine and across Europe must be countered by increasing our drone production and strengthening NATO's air defence," Mr Healey said.
Mr Healey is also expected to confirm the extension of the Royal Air Force's (RAF) contribution to the 'Eastern Sentry' mission until the end of 2025, in a bid to deter further Russian attempts to 'test the Alliance'.
In total, the UK has spent £600 million this year on military drones for Ukraine – out of a record budget of £4.5 billion allocated by the government in 2025 to support Ukraine's defence.
The Drone Capability Coalition, which the United Kingdom co-leads with Latvia, is also using multi-nation funding to procure advanced interceptor drones, aimed at helping Ukraine counter the threat of Iranian-designed Shahed one-way attack drones.
Both the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and the Defence Secretary have made it very clear: "The UK's national security – the foundation of the Government's Plan for Change – starts in Ukraine," British officials maintain.
The meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels today seeks to reconfirm the commitments made at the last NATO Summit, held at the end of June in The Hague, where allies agreed to establish a 5% GDP threshold for each state's defence spending, continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, as well as the need to prepare the entire alliance to face the threats from the Russian Federation.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
