CNN: “Tsar wars” – Britain and Russia exchanged threats

The drones have a range of more than 150 miles and are designed to destroy targets such as oil depots and ammunition dumps
Photo: The Sun

The Sun met Royal Artillery gunners armed with Nyan one-way attack aircraft at their base on NATO’s eastern frontier in Estonia.

The UK Army has war-gamed strikes on Vladimir Putin’s home city of St Petersburg with new jet-powered drones.

The drones have a range of more than 150 miles and are designed to destroy targets such as oil depots, ammunition dumps and military command posts.

The base at Tapa is almost exactly 150 miles as the crow flies from the centre of St Petersburg — and the strategic Kronstadt naval base and Levashovo military airfield.

One gunner said: “On an exercise we tested whether it can reach St Petersburg from here. It all depends on enemy air defences and electronic warfare, which affects how much we would have to dog-leg around.”

The Nyan drones are replacing a squadron of Challenger 2 tanks that was in Estonia ten years.

A top Army source told The Sun: “A tank can deny Russia ground, a drone can punish them.”

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis, who visited Estonia last week, said he was “acutely aware of the threats”.

He told The Sun: “We have looked very carefully at the right mix of capabilities. We are determined to provide the most credible deterrent with the most lethal and effective kit available.”

Sgt James Henry, from 26 Artillery Regiment, said of the £80,000 Nyans: “Air defence missiles cost £100,000 to £200,000. So it costs them more than us.

“And if an enemy shoots it down, they reveal air defences we’d then target.”

A Russian naval vessel carried out a rare live-fire weapons exercise off the British coast

British media identified the vessel on Tuesday as the Russian Navy frigate "Neustrashimy"
Photo: Getty Images

A Russian naval vessel carried out a rare live-fire weapons exercise off the British coast on Monday, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence, on the first day of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s tenure, CNN reports.

The vessel, identified by British media as the “Neustrashimy,” conducted the exercise in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles (around 46 miles) from Plymouth, a port city in southwest England.

The incident occurred as Burnham assumed office, and amid increased Russian naval activity near the UK coastline in recent months.

Richard Dannatt, former head of the British Army, said Tuesday the exercise was a way for Russian President Vladimir Putin to show that Russia’s “got muscles that it can flex.”

“It’s not entirely by happenstance that the Russian warship chose to carry out a live-fire exercise on the same day that Andy Burnham became prime minister,” Dannatt told Times Radio. “This is an indication from the Kremlin that we’re here and we’re powerful.”

Before Monday’s maneuver, the Russian ship informed HMS Tyne – a British patrol vessel – of its intention to conduct live-fire activity, CNN understands. It is not know what type of weapons were used.

CNN also understands the Russian vessel asked HMS Tyne to move to a safer distance, which it did. The exercise lasted for 30 minutes.

It is not the first time the presence of a Russian ship near the UK coastline has sparked alarm. Last month, a Russian warship fired warning shots near a yacht in the English Channel, an incident former prime minister Keir Starmer called “deeply concerning.”

Speaking about the recent movements of Russian warships near British waters, Royal Navy Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse said in June: “In recent months, the Royal Navy has worked tirelessly to safeguard UK waters in response to increased Russian naval activity.”

There wouldn’t have been increased Russian naval activity if it hadn’t been British drone activity in Estonia with the outspoken committed goal to reach St Petersburg from there. Isn’t that logical?

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