Bomb blast detectives find ‘British parts’ in Russian drones fired at Ukraine

BOMB blast detectives found suspected British parts in Russian drones fired at Ukraine.

Last night an MP called it a “deeply worrying development”.

Peter Jordan

Bomb blast detectives found suspected British parts in Russian drones fired at Ukraine[/caption]

Peter Jordan

Earlier investigations suggested the engines were reverse-engineered in Iran from a British parts[/caption]

Peter Jordan

Sun man Jerome Starkey and expert Andriy Kulchytskyi on a lab trip[/caption]

Ex-colonel Andriy Kulchytskyi, at the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, showed us a motor of an Iranian Shahed-M drone engraved with English writing.

He said he suspected some of the engines used to power the drone were made in England — but the manufacturer would not have known they could end up in a war zone.

Andriy said: “We thought the Shahed 131 engines were British, at the very beginning, but we haven’t made it official. England is a good friend.”

Earlier investigations have suggested the engines were reverse-engineered in Iran from a British part.

Former Armed Forces Minister Mark Francois said: “That these engines came from Britain is still unconfirmed but, if true, that’s a deeply worrying development.

“We have to assume our own intelligence agencies are investigating this, with a view to intervening rapidly, if required.”

Irish parts, US and Swiss computer chips, Sony optics on a spy drone and antennas made in Canada have also been found by the Kyiv lab.