Ukrainian envoy says 1st military plant begins operations in UK

Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK Valerii Zaluzhnyi said on Wednesday that the first Ukrainian military plant has begun operations in Britain.

Zaluzhnyi wrote on Telegram that the plant is a production complex of the Kyiv-headquartered Ukrspecsystems company, whose drones, he said, have "long proven their effectiveness in high-tech warfare."

Describing the launch of production in the UK as a step with "deep strategic logic," Zaluzhnyi said the move seeks to expand joint capabilities and create a second "resilience circuit that guarantees the continuity of production."

"We are keeping engineering expertise in Ukraine while integrating manufacturing into the UK defense space. We are creating a new quality of partnership, when allies not only support each other, but also form a common industrial security base," he added.

Ukrspecsystems announced in September last year that it expanded to the UK as part of the 1Force consortium, which includes Eagle Eye Innovations Ltd and Digital Concepts Engineering Ltd.

"This step strengthens the UK's sovereign drone program while securing Ukraine's supply chains, accelerating R&D, and ensuring NATO-standard interoperability," it said in a corresponding statement.