Russia summons UK charge d’affaires over Kiev drone support
Al Mayadeen | September 18, 2026
Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned UK Chargé d’Affaires in Moscow Danae Dholakia on Friday, lodging a formal protest over London’s growing supply of drones and other weapons to Kiev.
The ministry said in a statement that by continuing to arm Ukraine with long-range weapons, the UK is placing itself in the position of “accomplice to Kiev’s atrocities.” Dholakia was presented with a list of international obligations Russian officials say London is violating through its military backing of Ukraine.
Moscow said it reserves the right to take retaliatory measures under its right to self-defense, warning that the UK “bears full responsibility for any further unfavorable development of the situation.” The ministry said the UK side “has been required to abandon its escalatory course and bring its actions in line with its relevant international obligations.”
The ministry added that UK military facilities inside Ukraine used to carry out strikes on Russian territory “are a legitimate target for the Russian armed forces.” The ministry stressed that British actions in Ukraine “clearly aim at prolonging and escalating the armed conflict.”
UK’s expanding drone production support
The summons comes as Britain deepens its role in manufacturing weapons for Ukraine rather than simply supplying them. London has pledged to deliver more than 150,000 drones to Kiev by the end of 2026 and has committed roughly £16 billion in military support since the war began.
Separately, the UK has also become a manufacturing base for Ukrainian-designed weapons.
Under Programme Lyra, a bilateral framework launched after the UK and Ukraine signed a 100-year partnership in January 2025, British manufacturers have begun building Ukrainian-designed drones under license, for delivery back to Ukraine’s armed forces.
A Ukrainian-designed interceptor drone, the Octopus, entered licensed production in the UK late last year, with output expected to reach several thousand units a month. A dedicated factory in Suffolk, opened earlier this year, is now producing roughly 2,000 drones a month for transfer to Ukraine.
Wider diplomatic tensions
Friday’s summons follows a similar move by Moscow against Germany’s charge d’affaires earlier this month.
On September 2, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the German diplomat to reject Berlin’s allegations linking Russia to a drone incident at Leipzig Airport. Moscow responded to the broader wave of European summonses by expelling its consulate general from Bonn and shutting down the Russian House in Berlin.
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