Russian drones spy on RAF bases and Britain's nuclear weapons

Intelligence experts have accused Russia of launching spy drones on Royal Air Force bases and Britain's nuclear weapons.

According to a report published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Kremlin drones flew over four sensitive US military bases across Britain as part of a "sustained" 15-month campaign.

Officials were unable to track the drones’ signals or launch sites, leading to investigators at the time believing the technology was not programmed and instead had live operators.

Now, the IISS has discovered that HAV Dolphin, a Russian-crewed cargo vessel, was docked near Hull at the time of some of the incursions.

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The report said it was "likely" the Kremlin was using its sanctioned ships to deploy drones and spy on Nato’s most sensitive military locations, with drones sighted at military bases, airports and critical civilian infrastructure in 13 European countries between August 2024 and February 2026.

The report stated: "The pattern of sightings across 15 months and 13 countries cannot be explained by misidentification or opportunism alone.

"Russia has demonstrated, repeatedly and in public, that it can penetrate the airspace of Nato member states, including over nuclear sites, without triggering a collective allied response.

"That gap between capability and political will is now a strategic vulnerability."

One of the targets was RAF Lakenheath, a US base in Suffolk currently preparing to host nuclear bombs, along with American bases RAF Mildenhall, RAF Fairford and RAF Feltwell.

Drones were able to breach the airspace around the bases in November 2024, while HAV Dolphin was docked in Hull.

Bases across Europe were also reportedly targeted, including the Île Longue submarine base in Brittany, northern France, which contains the bulk of France's nuclear warheads.

The report alleges air bases containing nuclear bombs in Belgium and the Netherlands were also impacted.

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The report said: "The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) campaign operated with substantial impunity across European airspace representing both a series of tactical successes for the Kremlin and a strategic failure of allied air defence."

According to the report, the Kremlin’s success rested on a "basic strategic insight" that "Europe’s air-defence architecture was designed to detect and defeat conventional air threats operating in a recognisable battlespace."

In other words, Europe’s air-defence network is designed for conventional, high-altitude threats, rather than low-cost UAVs making deniable incursions below the threshold of a collective allied response.

A Whitehall source told The Times at the time: "(The drones) are very sophisticated, very fast. This is not the work of hobbyists, but no one is confident of attribution at the moment."

The report concluded: "As long as Russian-linked vessels and its shadow fleet can loiter in international waters or European exclusive economic zones and launch UAVs with effective impunity, the campaign’s primary enabling mechanism remains intact."

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The UK takes the security of military bases seriously and works closely with allies, law enforcement partners and other authorities to protect defence people, sites and capabilities.

"Through the Armed Forces Bill, we’re giving our defence personnel greater powers to defeat drones threatening our bases and we have invested significantly in counterdrone capabilities."

A spokesman for Nato’s Allied Maritime Command told The Telegraph: "Our message to any actor considering malign activity is clear.

"Allies are watching everything that occurs in the maritime domain, and we have the capabilities to respond, whether that involves attempts to sabotage critical undersea infrastructure or drones launched from maritime platforms. We remain vigilant."

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