RUSSIAN military tech has been found inside the Iranian drone that struck a British base in Cyprus – fuelling fears Vladimir Putin is meddling directly in the Middle East war.
Investigators believe the kamikaze drone that hit RAF Akrotiri last week contained a Russian-made Kometa-B navigation system.
Such hardware has been previously seen in drones shot down by Kyiv‘s air defences during the war in Ukraine.
The chilling discovery is the first concrete evidence of Kremlin equipment turning up in the escalating Iran conflict, The Times reported.
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British military intelligence has now shipped the recovered parts to the UK for laboratory analysis.
The drone is believed to have been fired from Lebanon by Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
It comes as Moscow openly threw its weight behind Tehran, confirming fears of a dangerous alliance between the two regimes.
Russia’s ambassador to Britain Andrey Kelin bluntly admitted: “We are not neutral.”
He added that Moscow’s position is “supportive to Iran”.
Kelin also lashed out at Western countries and insisted: “No one is saying that US and Israel has initiated an attack against Iran. And Iran is only responding to this attack. This is simply unfair.”
The comments effectively confirm the Kremlin has picked a side in the growing Middle East showdown.
Military chiefs warn the cooperation between Tehran and Moscow is making the threat even more dangerous.
Admiral Sir Richard Knighton, the UK’s Chief of the Defence Staff, said he has “no doubt” Russia is helping Iran.
He said: “This is an axis that we need to call out. The co-operation between Iran and Russia makes their forces more capable and more dangerous, and that’s why we need to be ready.”
Security fears are mounting that British forces in Cyprus could now be targeted using Russian-supplied intelligence.
Two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters only arrived at the island days before the strike.
Western officials are increasingly worried Moscow is feeding Tehran sensitive intelligence on US and allied military positions across the region.
Sources say Russia has been providing information on the locations of American warships and aircraft operating in the Middle East.
One insider described it as “a fairly comprehensive effort” to help Iran find targets.
The drones now being fired across the region are similar to the Shahed attack drones Iran has supplied to Russia for years – weapons Putin has unleashed relentlessly against Ukrainian cities.
Last year alone, Russian forces launched around 55,000 one-way attack drones into Ukraine, according to British defence intelligence.
It comes as…
Almost 600 civilians were killed in those drone attacks.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky warned this week that Iranian drones used in the Middle East are now packed with Russian components.
He said: “Iranian Shaheds contain Russian-made components. This is something we know for certain.”
Meanwhile, Britain is scrambling to bolster its military presence in the region.
The Royal Navy’s £3billion aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has been ordered to increase readiness and could deploy to the Gulf within five days if needed.
The US is also stepping up operations, with three B-1 Lancer bombers landing at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.
The bombers are expected to launch missions in the coming days.
US President Donald Trump has already warned the Iranian regime faces “certain death” if it refuses to surrender.
Despite Tehran issuing apologies to Gulf neighbours for missile strikes, drone barrages have continued across the region, raising doubts about whether Iran’s leadership even controls its own hardline forces.
‘TIME OF DANGER’
By Robin Perrie
BRITAIN’S chief of defence staff yesterday declared the world was living through the most “dangerous time” of the past 30 years.
Sir Richard Knighton also defended PM Sir Keir Starmer, who has been fiercely criticised.
US President Donald Trump said of him: “This is not Winston Churchill we are dealing with here.” But Sir Richard insisted the UK had been “bolstering our presence” in the Middle East for several weeks.
He said HMS Dragon would leave for the Eastern Med “in the next few days”.
