Drones spotted near British military bases almost daily — media
Unauthorized drones are being detected almost daily near British military bases, raising concerns about the United Kingdom's vulnerability to growing threats from Russia and Iran.
The Independent stated this, according to Ukrinform.
According to the publication, around 340 drone-related incidents were recorded at or near UK Ministry of Defence sites over the course of a year. In 2025, there were 250 such incidents — twice as many as the previous year, when 126 incidents were recorded.
The UK Ministry of Defence did not provide details about whom it suspects of being behind the incidents. However, experts say hostile actors operating on behalf of Moscow or Tehran could be responsible.
Tobias Ellwood, a former Conservative defence minister and former military officer, said the sharp increase in recorded drone incidents suggests that the British armed forces are being regarded "as a target." He added that the government is "asleep" to such threats.
"At the moment these are just rogue drones, and they're passive, but it's not a huge step to then add a kinetic dimension to them to make them introduce lethality. All this points to the fact that we are not taking the rise in threat levels that our European cousins are addressing seriously at all," he said.
Ellwood said Russia and Iran are "100 percent" responsible for many of these incidents.
"They are absolutely active in Britain in plotting, mapping, and then recruiting useful idiots to prosecute this targeting. It could be criminal gangs as well, but they would then be supported by Russia. Russia is by far the obvious culprit here... It's not China's style. They tend to do things in a different way," he said.
At the same time, the UK Ministry of Defence said the increase in recorded incidents reflects improvements in reporting systems, better drone-detection technology, and greater awareness among military personnel.
Minister for the Armed Forces Louise Sanderson-Jones told The Independent that the government is extremely serious about the threat posed by hostile drones to defence sites. She said the authorities are investing in counter-drone systems and giving military personnel new powers to disable drones that threaten defence facilities.
"In February, we established new restricted airspace areas over 44 critical defence sites in the UK. This autumn, we will introduce restricted airspace areas over a further 160 sites," she said. "By the end of the year, the Armed Forces Bill will become law, giving our personnel the power to take out drones – whether in the air, on the ground, or in the water – posing a threat to any defence site without the need for assistance from the police."
She also said that since taking office, the government has quadrupled spending on counter-drone capabilities. Under the Defence Investment Plan, GBP 750 million has been allocated to counter-drone systems and to protecting the British armed forces both within the UK and while deployed overseas.
As Ukrinform reported, the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Royal Navy, Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said that Russia is "testing Britain's vulnerabilities" and could attempt to damage the country's transatlantic cables on the first day of a conflict.
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