RAF stealth jets train for war with Russia as Moscow threatens to strike UK arms factories supplying Ukraine

From the Newshound archive · first published 1 October 2026.

Britain's RAF is conducting 'Cobra Warrior' war games over the North Sea, with Voyager tanker crews refuelling Nato fighters in drills explicitly framed as preparation for potential conflict with Russia. The exercises come after Kremlin spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that weapons factories in European countries supplying Ukraine are "legitimate military targets" for Russian strikes.

Zakharova said anyone who thinks arms factories outside Ukraine's borders are "safe" from attack is "mistaken."

The threat follows Russia intensifying drone and missile barrages against Kyiv, partly due to a shortage of air defence interceptors amid the Iran war.

Britain is one of Ukraine's biggest backers, with the UK set to deliver 150,000 drones to Kyiv by the end of 2026 — putting British production sites in Moscow's crosshairs.