The Iranian drone that struck a UK air base in Cyprus on 1 March carried a Russian-made navigation system Ukraine's air defenses had already intercepted months earlier, The Times reported on 8 March — the first confirmed evidence of Russian military hardware inside an Iranian weapon used in the current Middle East conflict.
The same weapon that threatens British and American assets in the Middle East targets Ukrainian civilians every night. British defence intelligence counted 55,000 Russian one-way attack drones launched into Ukraine in 2025 alone — a fivefold increase on 2024 — killing nearly 600 civilians.
Russian chip Ukraine found first
The recovered component is a Kometa-B navigation system — a Russian-made anti-jamming module first identified by Ukrainian air defenses in December 2025 in drones intercepted over Ukraine, according to The Times.
The Kometa-B appearance inside the Shahed that hit RAF Akrotiri, launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon, means the same hardware Kyiv flagged over its own cities three months ago has now struck a British military installation. British military intelligence has sent the recovered components to a UK laboratory for further analysis, The Times says.
Zelenskyy said on 6 March he was "certain" Russia was providing Iran with electronics for the Shaheds now striking the Middle East.
"Iranian Shaheds contain Russian-made components. This is something we understand for sure," he said.
British military intelligence backed that assessment two days later with physical evidence from the Akrotiri wreckage, according to The Times.
Moscow's axis with Tehran
UK chief of defence staff Sir Richard Knighton said he had "no doubt" Russia was passing targeting intelligence to Iran, including the locations of US warships and aircraft, The Times reported.
"This is an axis that we need to call out. The co-operation between Iran and Russia makes their forces more capable and more dangerous," Knighton said.
He confirmed the attack on RAF Akrotiri was launched from Lebanon by an Iranian-aligned group, believed to be Hezbollah.
Russia's ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, made no attempt to distance Moscow from the conflict. His country was "not neutral," Kelin said on Saturday, describing Russia's position as "supportive to Iran."
The UAE asked for 5,000 interceptors, Qatar for 2,000 — and the reason every Gulf state is calling Ukraine is the same: Patriot isn’t enough
British response
Britain said it was expanding its ability to deploy military assets to the region. HMS Prince of Wales could sail for the Gulf within five days after being ordered to increase its readiness, though no formal deployment decision has been made. The UK has already deployed Typhoons, F-35 jets, air defense systems, and an additional 400 personnel to Cyprus since January.
US President Donald Trump brushed off Britain's offer of carrier support, telling London he had no use for its aircraft carriers and accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of trying to "join wars after we've already won," as US and Israeli strikes on Iran continued.
