Dmitry Medvedev Threatens To Strike Elsight Drone Facilities Across Europe, Including Prague And Riga

Russia escalated its campaign over Ukraine-linked drone production by threatening to strike facilities across Europe that supply Kyiv, including a Haifa-based company identified by Moscow as Elsight.

“Prague summons Russian envoy over threats to companies linked to Ukraine drones Moscow recently listed European firms making drones for Ukraine, warning they could be seen as military targets Melike Pala 17 April 2026•Update: 17 April 2026 BRUSSELS Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka has summoned Russia's ambassador to Prague following reported threats against Czech-based companies linked to drone production for Ukraine, Radio Prague International reported on Thursday”

Anadolu Ajansı

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said such facilities constitute “legitimate targets” for the Russian military, and he accused European countries of escalating the conflict by significantly increasing drone production in cooperation with Ukraine.

Anadolu Ajansı

In a post on X, Medvedev argued that European governments decided in late March to expand unmanned aerial vehicle production, including through increased funding for joint ventures with Ukraine, effectively turning Europe into a “strategic rear” for Kyiv.

Russia’s Defense Ministry published a list of sites it claims are involved in manufacturing drones and related equipment for Ukraine, naming facilities in cities including London, Munich, Prague and Riga, with components also produced in Madrid and at several locations in Italy, including Venice.

The list also claims Ukrainian drone manufacturers operate branches in eight European countries, with additional components supplied from countries including Germany, Turkey, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic and Israel.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Elsight supplies cellular connectivity modules described as critical for communication and remote control of unmanned systems, and ynetnews reported there was “no immediate response from the company or Israeli officials to the Russian claims.”

The Russian threat was tied to a specific escalation narrative that began with European decisions in late March to expand unmanned aerial vehicle production and financing for joint ventures with Ukraine.

Multiple outlets described Russia’s framing that these moves amount to a deliberate step toward escalation and a creeping transformation of Europe into Ukraine’s “strategic rear.”

CTech

Euronews quoted the Russian Defence Ministry saying it regarded the decision as “a deliberate step leading to a sharp escalation of the military and political situation on the entire European continentand the creeping transformation of these countries into Ukraine's strategic rear,” and it added that strikes against Russia using drones produced in Europe could lead to “unpredictable consequences.”

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said the Russian Defense Ministry published its list on April 15 along with a warning that such cooperation is “dragging these countries faster into a war with Russia” and could have “unpredictable consequences.”

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty also connected the rhetoric to the wider war timeline, stating the war is “now in its fifth year since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of the neighboring country in February 2022.”

The Kyiv Independent reported that Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that on 26 March “the leadership of several European countries” decided to increase drone production and supplies to Ukraine “for strikes on Russian territory,” including expanding funding for joint or Europe-based Ukrainian companies in this sector.

The threats triggered direct diplomatic action in Prague, where the Czech Republic summoned Russia’s ambassador after Russia published its list of drone-related firms.

“On Wednesday Russia’s Defence Ministry issued a stark warning: European governments’ decisions to ramp up drone production and supplies to Ukraine are “pulling Europe deeper into the war” with Russia”

EUalive

Anadolu Ajansı said Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka summoned Russia's ambassador to Prague following reported threats against Czech-based companies linked to drone production for Ukraine, and it said Ambassador Alexander Zmeyevsky is expected to meet Macinka early next week to clarify statements issued by Russia's Defense Ministry.

Anadolu Ajansı reported that the ministry said the list includes two companies with branches in the Czech Republic: the Prague office of Ukrainian firm DeVIRo and Czech company PBS, and Moscow warned such entities could be considered potential military targets.

Reacting to the development, Czech President Petr Pavel said it would be “naive” to believe the country is not among Russia's potential targets, urging appropriate precautionary measures, while Czech police said they currently have no information indicating any immediate or specific threat and that authorities are continuing to assess the situation and monitor potential risks.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty similarly described that Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka summoned the Russian ambassador in Prague “to explain these statements to [the] Czech side,” and it said the Foreign Ministry referred to the Russian Defense Ministry report and Medvedev’s comments.

In parallel, Medvedev’s own language was presented as an explicit threat tied to future developments, with the Kyiv Independent quoting that Medvedev separately said these addresses could become “potential targets” for Russia.

While the core facts of Russia’s published list and Medvedev’s language were consistent across coverage, outlets differed in emphasis and in how they described the implications for European security.

Euronews foregrounded the Russian Defence Ministry’s claim that European drone collaboration is “increasingly dragging European countries into war,” and it quoted the ministry’s statement that “unpredictable consequences” could follow if drones produced in Europe are used for strikes on Russian territory.

Euronews

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty emphasized the Czech demand for explanation and the Russian list’s date, saying the list was published on April 15 and that Medvedev called it “a list of potential targets for the Russian military.”

The Kyiv Independent, by contrast, stressed the breadth of the addresses, saying the list includes locations across 11 European countries and also named Israel and Türkiye, and it added a specific detail from LRT that the Vilnius street listed by Russia hosts “over 700 registered companies, none of which appear linked to the military firms mentioned by the Russian Defence Ministry.”

UNITED24 Media described the Russian list as labeling facilities as potential targets and stated that “The documentation identifies eleven facilities as "Branches of Ukrainian companies in Europe,"” and that “ten other companies based in Madrid, Venice, and Haifa were labeled as foreign enterprises manufacturing components for the Ukrainian military.”

Across these accounts, the Russian Defence Ministry’s language about escalation and “strategic rear” remained central, but the reporting choices—diplomatic response in Prague, breadth of addresses in Vilnius, and the structure of “branches” versus “foreign enterprises”—shaped how readers understood the threat.

The Russian warnings were paired with ongoing European moves to expand drone cooperation with Ukraine, creating a cycle of action and counteraction described by multiple outlets.

“Haifa-based firm identified as supplying critical communication modules for drones, according to Russia, which claims such components enable remote control systems used by Ukraine’s unmanned aircraft Russia threatens to strike Israel-based drone production firm 2026 IUSTITIA”

iustitia.bg

Euronews reported that this week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed agreements with Germany and Norway on the joint production of drones, and it said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed interest in such cooperation, quoting her: "Supporting Ukraine is not only a moral duty, but also a strategic necessity. Europe's security is at stake," after a meeting with Zelenskyy in Rome.

iustitia.bg

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said several European countries announced plans to increase defense cooperation with Ukraine, including joint drone production and efforts to learn from Kyiv’s battlefield experience with drone warfare, and it referenced visits by Zelenskyy on April 14 when Germany said it would “continue supporting Ukraine's drone industry as well as establishing drone co-production ventures,” while Norway said it would step up cooperation with Kyiv, including by producing Ukrainian drones.

UNITED24 Media described a meeting in Berlin between Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on April 14, saying the leaders viewed seven drone models produced through joint Ukrainian-German ventures, and it said Germany and Ukraine agreed on a four-billion-euro defense package that includes funding for several hundred missiles for Patriot air defense systems.

UNITED24 Media also reported that Belgium set out to launch its own production of drones and counter-drone systems in partnership with the Ukrainian defense industry, quoting Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken that incorporating Ukrainian technology would enable the establishment of manufacturing facilities directly within Belgium.

Taken together, the sources depict a near-term future where European drone production and joint ventures continue while Russia publicly labels the facilities as potential targets and ties any strikes to “what comes next.”