Embrace and promise of drones for Kyiv
BRITAIN will send Ukraine hundreds of suicide drones it has had custombuilt to support Kyiv on the battlefield.
Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with Rishi Sunak at Chequers yesterday to discuss what further support the UK could provide.
The kamikaze drones have a range of more than 125 miles – at least twice as far as the highly successful Himars – and complement the long-range Storm Shadow missiles the UK donated to Ukraine last week.
Ukraine fired the cruise missiles for the first time last week, hitting a Russian supply depot and a military command centre 80 miles behind the front line.
Defence sources told The Daily Telegraph that the drones were “one-way”, adding that they had a “primary goal to carry munitions”. “They’ve been rapidly developed and adapted at significantly lower costs than others,” they said, adding that “they have a comparable effect to an artillery shell”.
The source said that the secrecy was because of commercial confidence as the drones were still going through the later stages of procurement. “They will be delivered in the coming months,” they said.
Mr Sunak gave the Ukrainian president a warm embrace as he touched down by helicopter at Chequers.
They held their meeting in the same Chequers room used by Winston Churchill to broadcast defiant speeches vowing victory over the Nazis.
Mr Sunak told Mr Zelensky that “the same way today, your leadership, your country’s bravery and fortitude are an inspiration to us all”.
After the meeting Mr Zelensky said he was “very positive” about creating a “jets coalition” in the war against Russia, with a decision expected “in the closest time”. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said that France was to induct Ukrainian fighter pilots. “We have opened the door to training pilots, and this with several other European countries who are also ready. I think discussions are under way with the Americans,” he said.
Earlier this year Qinetiq, the Ukbased defence technology company, worked with the Ministry of Defence on a drone programme to “provide recommendations for uncrewed aircraft systems that could be deployed readily by the Ukrainian military”.
According to Qinetiq one of the test projects included a 3D-printed deltawing suicide drone. There was no indication that this was the weapon procured for Ukraine.
In February Mr Sunak pledged that the UK would supply Kyiv with longer range capabilities that would “disrupt Russia’s ability to continually target Ukraine’s civilian and critical national infrastructure and help relieve pressure on Ukraine’s front lines”.
Earlier this month Ukraine was forced to deny involvement in a drone attack that struck the Kremlin, with Western officials unclear on the source of the drones. In granting Ukraine drones yesterday, No10 were clear that they were to be used only on Ukrainian soil. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Our support has always been on the condition that it is used to defend Ukrainian sovereignty.
That is no different with these drones.” Asked whether the UK Government’s position meant that striking targets within Russia would go beyond the purpose of defending Ukraine, the spokesman replied: “Yes. I think there is no question of this military aid we’re providing being used for anything other than the defence of Ukraine and Ukraine soil.”
The spokesman stressed that the drones were “not for use” beyond Ukraine’s sovereign borders.
Greg Bagwell, the president of the UK Air & Space Power Association, said the concept of the new drones was similar to supplying Ukraine with Storm Shadow.
“It’s upping the anti,” he said. “It flies to a point on the ground and goes bang.” Mr Bagwell added that supplying Ukraine with drones that can travel over 100 miles allowed them “to strike beyond the limited range of artillery it has up until now”.
“Ukraine now has the chance to strike back – which it hasn’t had until now.
“This is a war of logistics and if you can deny the other side access to logistics that’s what changes the game.
“Everyone has resisted going deeper up until now, but if you look at the geography and battlefront, Russia has been immune from attack from Ukraine. Now they have the ability to do something about it. That will make Russia think twice about what it’s doing.”
Meanwhile Russia said the new UK weapons would only cause “further destruction”, as they claimed to have downed a Storm Shadow cruise missile that Britain said last week it was providing, in the West’s first deployment of long-range rocketry for Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky yesterday thanked Western partners for all the weaponry procured on his lightning visit of European capitals.
Alongside the British support, France offered dozens more light tanks and armoured vehicles, while Germany said it was preparing a new military package worth €2.7 billion ($3 billion) – its biggest yet for Ukraine.