UK condemns record-breaking Russian drone strikes

The UK has sharply condemned Russia’s escalating campaign of aerial bombardment against Ukraine and accused the Kremlin of repeated violations of international law, including the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield.

Speaking to the OSCE in Vienna on 10 July, UK Ambassador Neil Holland described Russia’s latest drone and missile attacks as “the largest such attack in the war to date.” On 8 July alone, Russia launched “728 drones and 13 missiles at Lutsk and other Ukrainian cities,” surpassing a previous record set just four days earlier when “539 drones and 11 missiles” were used in a massive overnight assault.

“So far in 2025, Russia has launched over 20,000 drones at Ukraine. That’s around 3,500 per month,” Holland said, noting this is more than three-and-a-half times the average monthly rate in 2024. “Russia has launched the nine largest daily air attacks of the war in the past six weeks.”

The ambassador cited findings from the UN Human Rights Office that “strongly suggest a failure to distinguish between civilian and military targets,” or potentially “an intentional decision not to.” Civilian infrastructure including homes, medical centres, schools and businesses have been hit in the latest waves of strikes.

In a further escalation, Russia is now facing fresh UK sanctions over battlefield chemical weapons use. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has confirmed the presence of CS gas in samples collected by Ukraine, corroborating a recent joint statement by the Dutch and German intelligence services. “We will not ignore such disregard of the Chemical Weapons Convention,” Holland said, confirming that “the UK announced a second package of sanctions this week against two senior Russian military officials and a Russian research institute.”

The UK has also committed £5.3 billion in non-military assistance to Ukraine and backs international efforts to support the country’s reconstruction.

“Early recovery and reconstruction are vital to get through the war and secure a just and lasting peace,” Holland said, urging nations to step up their contributions in light of a World Bank estimate placing Ukraine’s long-term recovery needs at $524 billion.