Drones are spotted near British military bases almost every day — The Independent
Unauthorized drone flights are recorded nearly every day near British military bases. The situation is heightening concerns about the United Kingdom’s vulnerability amid threats from Russia and Iran.
Over the past year, approximately 340 drone-related incidents were recorded at or near UK Ministry of Defense facilities. In 2025, there were 250 such incidents—twice as many as the previous year, when 126 incidents were recorded.
The UK Ministry of Defense did not provide details on who it suspects of involvement in these incidents. At the same time, experts claim that hostile actors acting in the interests of Moscow or Tehran may be behind them.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative Party defense minister and former military officer, stated that the sharp increase in the number of reported drone incidents indicates that the British armed forces are being viewed “as a target,” and added that the government is “turning a blind eye” to such threats.
“At the moment, these are just unauthorized drones operating passively, but it wouldn’t take much to give them kinetic capability so they could deliver lethal strikes. All of this indicates that we are not taking seriously the rising threat level that our European neighbors are facing,” he said.
Ellwood stated that Russia and Iran are “100 percent” responsible for many of these incidents.
“They are very active in the United Kingdom, engaging in planning and reconnaissance, and then recruiting ‘useful idiots’ to carry out these attacks. Russia is undoubtedly the obvious culprit in this situation... This isn’t China’s style. They usually operate differently,” he said.
At the same time, the British Ministry of Defense stated that the increase in the number of reported incidents reflects improvements in the reporting system, better drone detection technology, and increased awareness among military personnel.
Minister for the Armed Forces Louise Sander-Jones told The Independent that the government “takes the threat posed by hostile drones to defense facilities extremely seriously.” According to her, the government is investing in anti-drone systems and granting military personnel new authority to neutralize drones that threaten defense facilities.
“In February, we established new restricted airspace zones over 44 critical defense facilities in the United Kingdom. This fall, we will introduce restricted airspace zones over another 160 facilities,” she noted. - By the end of the year, the Armed Forces Bill will take effect, granting our personnel the authority to neutralize drones—in the air, on the ground, or in the water—that pose a threat to any defense facility, without having to call the police for assistance.”
She also stated that since taking office, the government has quadrupled spending on counter-drone measures, and that the Defense Investment Plan allocates 750 million pounds for counter-drone systems and the protection of the British Armed Forces both at home and when deployed abroad.
Source: The Independent
Earlier, Russian drones again flew into Moldova during an attack on Ukraine.
As a reminder, on September 18, law enforcement officers discovered debris from what is believed to be a drone near the Moldovan capital of Chisinau. The night before, residents of the suburbs heard an explosion.
On the night of September 18, a powerful explosion was heard in the village of Kolonitsa, not far from Chisinau. Law enforcement officials are currently investigating its origin.
On the morning of September 17, a drone once again violated Moldova’s airspace. According to preliminary data, it was one of the Russian drones involved in the attack on Ukraine’s Odesa region.
