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The drone contained a Russian made Kometa-B navigation system.
07:45, Sun, Mar 8, 2026 Updated: 07:45, Sun, Mar 8, 2026
Russian tech was found inside a drone which hit RAF Akrotiri (Image: Getty)
A drone which struck an RAF base on Cyprus included Russian military technology, a report claims. The drone that hit RAF Akrotiri on March 1 contained a Kometa-B navigation system made in Russia.
UK military officials sent the remaining pieces to a lab in Britain after the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by militants from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Discovery of the Russian tech, first reported by The Times, comes amid reports the Kremlin is sharing intelligence with Iran as the Islamic Republic targets US bases in the Middle East.
Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Richard Knighton, told The Times: "This is an axis that we need to call out.
"The cooperation between Iran and Russia makes their forces more capable and more dangerous, and that's why we need to be ready."
When the US and Israel unleashed their missiles and bombs on Iran, Russia responded with indignation, but no visible action to support its Middle Eastern ally.
Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to focus on Ukraine in an apparent hope the Iran war will play into Moscow’s hands by boosting its oil revenues and eroding Western support for Kyiv.
Putin sent his condolences to Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, condemning the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last weekend as a "cynical violation" of international law.
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US, UK and French bases can be found throughout the Middle East (Image: Getty)
Hours after the war began on February 28, Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced the US and Israeli attack on Iran as a "deliberate, premeditated, and unprovoked act of armed aggression".
A week into the war, Putin had a call with Mr Pezeshkian, saying Moscow wants to see a quick end to hostilities.
When the US and Israel struck Iran in June 2025, Russian officials underlined that their "strategic partnership" did not envisage mutual military assistance in case of aggression.
Asked on Thursday whether Moscow could go beyond words and provide Iran with weapons, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded Russia received no such requests from Tehran.
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Two officials familiar with US intelligence on Friday said that Russia has provided Iran with information which could help Tehran strike US warships, aircraft and other assets in the region.
The people, who were not authorised to comment publicly on the sensitive matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that US intelligence has not uncovered evidence Russia is telling Iran what to do with the information.
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