Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, announced on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, that the first Ukrainian military production facility has commenced operations on British soil.
In a post on Telegram, Zaluzhnyi revealed that the plant is a production complex established by Ukrspecsystems, a Kyiv-headquartered Ukrainian defense company renowned for its unmanned aerial systems (UAS). He highlighted that the company’s drones “have long proven their effectiveness in high-tech warfare,” referring to their extensive use by Ukrainian forces since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
The ambassador described the launch as a move with “deep strategic logic,” aimed at expanding joint production capabilities and establishing a second “resilience circuit that guarantees the continuity of production” amid ongoing disruptions to supply chains in Ukraine.
“We are keeping engineering expertise in Ukraine while integrating manufacturing into the UK defense space,” Zaluzhnyi wrote. “We are creating a new quality of partnership, when allies not only support each other, but also form a common industrial security base.”
Ukrspecsystems first announced its expansion to the United Kingdom in September 2025 as part of the 1Force consortium, a collaborative venture that also includes British companies Eagle Eye Innovations Ltd and Digital Concepts Engineering Ltd. The consortium focuses on developing and producing next-generation drones compliant with NATO standards, accelerating research and development, and securing resilient supply lines for Ukraine while bolstering the UK’s domestic sovereign drone capabilities.
“This step strengthens the UK’s sovereign drone program while securing Ukraine’s supply chains, accelerating R&D, and ensuring NATO-standard interoperability,” Ukrspecsystems stated at the time.
The initiative reflects deepening defense-industrial cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters since the invasion. Britain has provided billions in military aid—including Storm Shadow cruise missiles, Challenger 2 tanks, air defense systems, and training for tens of thousands of Ukrainian personnel—and has consistently advocated for long-term industrial partnerships to reduce Ukraine’s dependence on wartime improvisation and external donations.
The establishment of production capacity in Britain is seen as a practical response to Russia’s repeated targeting of Ukrainian defense factories and logistics networks, which has forced Kyiv to seek dispersed and protected manufacturing options among allies. It also aligns with broader European and NATO efforts to revitalize defense industrial bases, shorten supply chains, and enhance interoperability among member states.
While specific details on the plant’s location, scale, initial production output, or drone models involved have not been publicly disclosed for security reasons, the move is expected to contribute to faster delivery of systems to Ukrainian forces and potentially support future exports or joint programs within NATO.
The announcement comes amid ongoing discussions in Western capitals about sustaining long-term support for Ukraine, including through co-production arrangements that leverage allied industrial capacity while preserving Ukrainian engineering know-how.
