From 10,000 to 1,00,000 drones: UK increases drone deliveries to Ukraine days after Operation Spider's Web
The United Kingdom is planning to ramp up its support to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia. The country will supply 1,00,000 drones to Ukraine, a tenfold increase from the 10,000 it is currently arming Ukraine with, in 2025.
The
UK Ministry of Defence
, in a statement, said that following the delivery of more than 10,000 drones to Ukraine in 2024, tens of thousands more have already been delivered towards an ambitious new target of 100,000 drones for the current financial year.
Defence Secretary John Healey will make the announcement at a 50-nation summit in Brussels. The meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) will have the German defence minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in attendance.
Also Read:
Russia-Ukraine war: How Ukraine's drones broke through and hit vital Russian airbases
The record £350m ($ 473m) investment in drones for Ukraine is part of the UK's £4.5bn ($ 6 bn) military support in 2025, the statement informed.
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The latest announcement by the UK comes at a time when Russia and Ukraine are witnessing a fresh major escalation in the ongoing war. Kyiv launched a major offensive on Sunday, June 1, against Russia through AI powered drones to attack military aircraft across multiple airbases.
Ukraine's latest escalation against Moscow amid the ongoing war came as a part of the operation codenamed Spider's Web.
Following the attack, Russia told Ukraine at peace talks on Monday (June 2) that it would only agree to end the conflict if Kyiv gives up new chunks of territory and agrees to limit the size of its army, Reuters reported.
The terms presented during peace talks in Istanbul underscored Moscow's refusal to back down on its longstanding war goals despite calls by US President Donald Trump to end the "bloodbath" in Ukraine.
Why is UK strengthening Ukraine's military arsenal
The UK Defence Ministry statement said that as Kyiv's Armed Forces have managed to demonstrate the effectiveness of drone warfare in defending against what it believes is Putin's illegal invasion, the UK has been doubling down on investment in drones with British defence companies.
The UK government is infusing more investment in defence companies including small to medium sized enterprises seeking to support the UK economy and jobs, as part of its Plan for Change.
According to the UK government release, Ukrainian units have confirmed that drones provided by the UK have helped stabilise parts of the frontline by driving back attacks from Moscow and protecting Ukrainian lives. Defence intelligence has also confirmed that drones kill more people than artillery on the frontline in Ukraine at present.
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