--- title: "Ukraine uses British-made drones to strike deep into Russia for first time" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/ukraine-uses-british-made-drones-to-strike-deep-into-russia-for-first-time" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/ukraine-uses-british-made-drones-to-strike-deep-into-russia-for-first-time" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/ukraine-uses-british-made-drones-to-strike-deep-into-russia-for-first-time.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/ukraine-uses-british-made-drones-to-strike-deep-into-russia-for-first-time" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Russia" published: "2026-08-16T10:46:02.842Z" source_reported: "2026-08-16T10:27:36.383Z" updated: "2026-08-16T10:46:02.842Z" trust_score: 78 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-16T11:26:00.064Z" --- # Ukraine uses British-made drones to strike deep into Russia for first time *Attacks on oil refineries and military sites killed six people and caused £35 billion in economic damage* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 78 of 100, higher is better. Trust 78: multiple named officials and ministry statement plus two independent full reports provide corroborated facts. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: clear context, quotes from officials, specific figures, and explanation of implications are well presented. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Hype 15: language is measured; no sensational adjectives or clickbait headlines exceed the article content. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - British-made drones have been used by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia for the first time, including oil refineries and military sites. - At least six people were killed in Russia during the attacks, with five deaths in Rostov region and one in Moscow region. - Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported destroying 822 drones overnight, while Ukraine claimed the strikes caused £35 billion in economic damage. - No left-rated outlet covered the story, according to the reports below. Ukraine has used British-made drones to strike targets deep inside Russia for the first time, according to reports from Ukrainian and British sources. The attacks, which took place in the early hours of 16 August 2026, targeted oil refineries near Moscow, Yaroslavl and Volgograd, as well as military and industrial sites. At least six people were killed in Russia during the drone strikes. Five deaths occurred in the southwestern Rostov region, where three towns came under attack, as reported by local governor Yury Slyusar. An 83-year-old man died in the Moscow region after a drone hit a private home. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it destroyed 822 drones overnight. The economic damage from the attacks was estimated at around £35 billion, according to reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that at least three people died in Ukraine during overnight Russian strikes, which he said targeted civilian infrastructure across 13 regions. ## What the reports agree on All reports confirm that British-made drones were used in the attacks, supplied by two UK companies. The drones were deployed to strike industrial and military targets inside Russia, including oil refineries. The attacks resulted in at least six deaths in Russia and caused significant economic damage. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated reports mentioned the six-month timeline for the use of British drones, which was reported by the centre-rated outlets. No left-rated outlet covered the story at all. ## Who covered it Shares of the 4 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 50% (2) - Right: 50% (2) 8 of 12 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-16T11:26:00.064Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-16T12:45:25.724Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The three centre-rated reports led on the use of British drones in deep strikes inside Russia. The Kyiv Independent and The Times both reported that the drones had been used over the past six months, citing sources in Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The Kyiv Independent named the BAE Systems Nyan jet-powered drone as one of the weapons used, while The Times did not specify the second drone manufacturer for security reasons. - The Kyiv Independent quoted a senior Ukrainian military source saying the British drones had been effective in striking targets, including oil refineries near Moscow, Yaroslavl and Volgograd. It also reported that Russia might increase hybrid warfare against the UK in response, including cyberattacks and espionage, citing unnamed sources. BBC News included the story in its digest of Sunday newspaper headlines but did not add further detail. ### Right - The two right-rated digests led on the scale of the drone attacks and the confirmation of British involvement. LBC reported that over 800 drones were fired towards Russia, citing Russia’s Ministry of Defence, and noted that the attacks caused an estimated £35 billion in economic damage. It quoted Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov saying several people were injured in Podolsk, where a warehouse belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, was struck. - LBC also reported that Ukraine had targeted Wildberries in recent weeks, accusing the company of handling military goods. Yonhap News Agency’s digest described the drones as long-range attack drones manufactured by a British company, used to strike military and industrial facilities deep in mainland Russia. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 3 - unknown: 8 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Adevarul](https://adevarul.ro/stiri-externe/europa/ucraina-a-inceput-sa-foloseasca-drone-britanice-2550218.html) — Ukraine Has Started Using British Drones for Deep Attacks in Russia. What Are the Risks to the United Kingdom? - [LBC](https://lbc.co.uk/article/uk-drones-deep-strikes-russia-ukraine-huge-aerial-attack-5Hjdg6p_2) — UK drones used for ‘deep strikes’ in mainland Russia, as Ukraine launches huge aerial attack - [The Times](https://thetimes.com/world/russia-ukraine-war/article/uk-drones-used-for-deep-strikes-in-mainland-russia-for-first-time-wkpvxbjgl) — UK drones used for ‘deep strikes’ in mainland Russia for first time - [RTVI](https://rtvi.com/news/ukraina-nachala-primenyat-britanskie-bpla-dlya-udarov-vglub-rossii) — Ukraine Has Begun to Use British Drones to Attack Deep Into Russia. - [연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency](https://yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260816039600009) — First Confirmation of Ukraine Striking Deep Into Russia with British-Made Long-Range Drone - [ZN.UA Зеркало недели](https://zn.ua/war/ukraina-uzhe-polhoda-ispolzuet-britanskie-drony-dlja-nanesenija-udarov-na-bolshie-rasstojanija-po-rf-the-times.html) — Ukraine Has Been Using British Drones for Long-Range Strikes Against the Russian Federation for Six Months - [tvrain.tv](https://tvrain.tv/news/the-sunday-times-rasskazal-ob-ispolzovanii-britanskih-bespilotnikov-dlja-udarov-po-territorii-rossii-574868) — The Sunday Times Reported on the Use of British Drones to Attack Russian Territory. - [Forbes Georgia](https://forbes.ge/ukraina-rusethis-sighrmeshi-samizneebze-thavdaskhmebisthvis-britanul-dronebs-iqhenebs-the-times) — Ukraine Uses British Drones to Attack Targets Deep Inside Russia – The Times - [pmo.ee](https://pmo.ee/8528125) — The Times: Ukraine Has Also Started Using British Drones for Deep Strikes on Russia - [The Kyiv Independent](https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine-begins-using-uk-drones-to-strike-targets-deep-within-russia-times-reports) — Ukraine begins using British drones to strike targets deep within Russia, Times reports - [Crypto Briefing](https://cryptobriefing.com/ukraine-uses-uk-made-drones-in-conflict-with-russia) — Ukraine uses UK-made drones in conflict with Russia - [Cryptocurrency News | Cryptocurrency Prices | Market Cap](https://cryptocurrency.com.tr/ukraine-uses-uk-made-drones-in-conflict-with-russia-341938) — Ukraine uses UK-made drones in conflict with Russia - [BBC News](https://bbc.com/news/articles/c4gvv07ww42o) — Newspaper headlines: UK-made drones 'strike Russia' and 'Phone theft Britain' ## Questions **How many drones did Russia claim to destroy?** Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported destroying 822 drones overnight during the Ukrainian attacks on 16 August 2026. This figure was cited by LBC and corroborated across multiple reports. **Which British drones were used in the attacks?** The Kyiv Independent reported that the BAE Systems Nyan jet-powered drone was used, along with another unspecified drone from a second UK manufacturer. The second drone’s details were withheld for security reasons. **What was the estimated economic damage from the attacks?** The economic damage from the drone strikes was estimated at around £35 billion, according to reports carried by LBC. This included fuel shortages and rolling blackouts in some Russian regions. **Did any left-rated outlets cover the story?** No left-rated outlet covered the story, according to the reports provided. The coverage was limited to centre and right-rated outlets. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/ukraine-uses-british-made-drones-to-strike-deep-into-russia-for-first-time. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Ukraine uses British-made drones to strike deep into Russia for first time", https://mediabias.news/conflict/ukraine-uses-british-made-drones-to-strike-deep-into-russia-for-first-time