Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey has pointed to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a possible force behind Iran’s escalating drone campaign against Western military positions in the Middle East, as investigators examine wreckage from an Iranian drone that struck a British air base in Cyprus for evidence of Russian technology.
Speaking during a visit to the United Kingdom’s Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, near London, on Thursday, March 12, 2026, Healey told reporters that officials were analysing the Iranian-made Shahed drone that hit the Royal Air Force (RAF) Akrotiri base in Cyprus on March 1 for any Russian or other foreign components. He said findings would be published once available.
“I think no one will be surprised to believe that Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics, potentially some of their capabilities as well, not least because one world leader that is benefiting from the sky-high oil prices at the moment is Putin,” Healey said.
The assessment received backing from within the UK military. Lieutenant General Nick Perry, the British military’s chief of joint operations, told Healey there were definitive signs of a link between Russia and Iran, specifically that Tehran had adopted drone tactics learned from Russian operators. Brigadier Guy Foden separately briefed Healey that UK troops stationed at a coalition base in Erbil, Iraq, helped shoot down two Iranian drones on Wednesday night, though a number of drones still struck the base and injured American personnel.
The concerns have since been reinforced by physical evidence. The Times of London reported that the drone that hit Akrotiri contained a Russian-made Kometa-B navigation system, the same system first identified in Russian drones intercepted by Ukrainian air defences in December 2025. The system is designed to protect drones against jamming technology, making them significantly harder to intercept. Recovered components have reportedly been sent to a laboratory in the United Kingdom for further analysis.
The conflict began on February 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. Since then, Iran and its regional proxies have targeted Western military positions across the Middle East, including the RAF Akrotiri base, which Britain’s prime minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed has been used as a launchpad for defensive air operations against Iranian drones over Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. No personnel were injured when the March 1 drone struck a hangar at the base. British warplanes intercepted two additional drones heading toward the base the same day.
US President Donald Trump said at the weekend that he had no indication Russia was supporting Iran in the conflict, but added that if it were, it was not helping much. Russia is a close ally of Iran, with the two countries agreeing last year to work together against what they described as common threats.
The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon has since been deployed toward the eastern Mediterranean to reinforce the defence of Cyprus. Britain’s operation to protect the island is codenamed Operation Luminous. British pilots have logged over 300 operational flying hours conducting defensive air operations since the conflict began.
