Russia threatens European firms producing drones for Ukraine
Russia's Defence Ministry has published a list of what it said are addresses in Europe linked to joint drone production with Ukraine, hinting at possible retaliation. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Head of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and former president, separately said these addresses could become "potential targets" for Russia.
The Russian ministry released on social media a list of addresses across 11 European countries where companies are supposedly involved in producing drones jointly with or for Ukraine, or are Ukrainian-linked companies operating in Europe.
The list includes locations in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Spain, Italy, Türkiye and Israel, along with company names and components purportedly produced there.
Russia's Defence Ministry claimed that on 26 March, "the leadership of several European countries" decided to increase drone production and supplies to Ukraine "for strikes on Russian territory", including expanding funding for joint or Europe-based Ukrainian companies in this sector.
It described this as a deliberate step towards escalating the military and political situation across Europe and gradually turning these countries into Ukraine's "strategic rear". The ministry added that this could lead to "unpredictable repercussions" and "drag Europe into the war".
It also said that "the European public should not only understand the real causes of threats to their security, but also know the addresses and locations of Ukrainian and joint UAV production facilities and components within their countries".
Meanwhile, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT noted that the Vilnius street listed by Russia hosts over 700 registered companies, none of which appear linked to the military firms mentioned by the Russian Defence Ministry.
Russian propaganda outlets have previously claimed that Baltic states and Poland allowed Ukraine to use their airspace to strike Russian ports near St Petersburg. Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had issued "warnings" to Baltic countries.