Mar 26, 2025
Written By [Christopher Sharp](https://www.liberationtimes.com/?author=610434e320e3e945538177b1)
Liberation Times Opinion & Insight
Written by Franc Milburn – 26 March 2025
In my [initial assessment](https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/uk-drone-incursions-adversarial-threats-and-the-ufo-connection) for Liberation Times ( _which should be read first for full context and comparison_), \`UK Drone Incursions: Adversarial Threats and the UFO Connection,´ I assessed the affected air bases in terms of their assets, capabilities, operations and attractiveness to hostile state actors.
I examined extant and historical Russian intelligence operations in the UK and Europe dating back to the Cold War, provided commentary by heads of UK and European intelligence and security agencies, and provided details of the modern nexus of Russian intelligence and organised crime groups.
I detailed the official response of UK and U.S. authorities, the countermeasures undertaken by law enforcement, counter-intelligence and security forces, with detailed assessments by technical and drone experts, academics and senior government security figures on drone activity at UK bases and the Russian threat in terms of hybrid warfare in the \`grey zone.´
I assessedthat the drone incursions were most likely attributable to Russian military intelligence, the GRU _._ This has now been confirmed by Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) as reported in [an investigative piece](https://inews.co.uk/news/russian-links-drone-sightings-uk-air-base-3542584?ico=in-line_link) by a multi-award-winning [journalist](https://inews.co.uk/author/richard-holmes).
According to The i Paper, three people with links to Russian military and intelligence sites were physically present near UK air bases before, during and after suspicious drone sightings [last November](https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/usaf-confirms-drone-incursions-over-uk-bases-spanning-five-consecutive-days-amid-further-reports-of-activity).
The evidence is based on a database of open-source location data, provided by ‘a former intelligence official who monitors hostile state cyber threat movements.’
According to the piece the investigation revealed:
‘An individual, who over the last year has regularly been present in the Russian Embassy in Germany, flew into Britain in early May and was just metres from the perimeter of RAF Mildenhall during the November drone incursions;
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‘In May, another individual arrived in the UK who had also been present at Russia’s largest military facility in Tajikistan in February 2024. They visited remote areas surrounding RAF Mildenhall on several occasions before returning to the Russian military base within two months of the drone sightings; and
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‘A third person, known to have access to a facility belonging to Russia’s main intelligence agency (GRU) in Moscow during 2023, flew into London Stansted in August last year. They then visited areas around RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall throughout September and October before flying back to Russia, via Turkey, where they spent time in a military district on the outskirts of Moscow.’
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‘At least two of the individuals are thought to have worked as seasonal fruit pickers in close proximity to the airbases – visiting fields close to the airbases at night.’
As The i Paper notes, this would provide perfect cover for intelligence operatives given seasonal workers from the Former Soviet Union applying for temporary work visas:
‘A senior former British military intelligence official who has reviewed the database seen by this newspaper said it suggested significant Russian “grey area activity.”
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‘On initial reflection this is not a surprise, this kind of activity has been prevalent in the UK and Europe for years,” they said. “The real question is where else this activity is occurring, which sensitive areas in HMG’s \[Government\] operations are under the same threat to external grey area activity.’
In my [first piece](https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/uk-drone-incursions-adversarial-threats-and-the-ufo-connection), I examined what and who the drone activity was potentially targeting and why. I noted the utility of drones for carrying out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), psychological operations, and kinetic attacks against aircraft on the flight line, the munitions they carry, the crews that fly, arm, and maintain them, and their families.
Sean Munger, [a contributor](https://www.liberationtimes.com/home/signature-management-the-key-term-everyone-overlooked-in-the-uaptf-report) to Liberation Times and a former United States Marine Corps intelligence analyst told the author:
“It’s Russia collecting on US / British / German installations and logistical processes supplying Ukraine. Potential pre-emption to a clandestine sabotage operation.
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“The purpose of the adversarial effort is to: 1) Collect information on logistics and supply going to Ukraine; 2) Undermine NATO population confidence in institutions; 3) Undermine the belief that we are safe and removed from foreign conflict. 4) Proof of concept for follow on operations.”
A [UK Daily Mail article](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14202269/drones-airbases-UK-bombshell-report.html) that Chris Sharp of Liberation Times co-authored with Josh Boswell quoted an unnamed UK military source who stated that when drones started swarming RAF Lakenheath, security personnel were unprepared to deal with the advanced foreign technology.
‘The officer told DailyMail.com that drones were recorded flying at up to 170mph near the base, chased a police helicopter, and appeared to be controlled remotely using radio frequencies outside of the normal bands used for military or civilian drones. When one of the objects was detected near the Lakenheath base around November 20, police sent a chopper to investigate.
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‘The drones were flying in set formation and then immediately locked on to the helicopter,’ the source said. ‘Long range UAVs \[drones\] that the US military use, there’s a couple of seconds lag in the system. A report from the pilot said it must have been controlled by a controller within the UK, as there was no lag in the response. When the police helicopter climbed, the drones climbed with it. When the police helicopter tried to leave the area, the drones followed it. They were travelling really fast, faster than anything they’d seen before. From police helicopter footage, one of the drones was tracked travelling at 170mph.
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‘The officer said one helicopter even caught the advanced drone on an infrared camera in a video which is now classified. ‘There is a 30-minute video of the incident.. The camera on the helicopter was in IR mode, infrared. There is approximately one minute of footage when you can see a craft which looks like a fixed wing craft, and the manoeuvre that it does on the screen is like a very fast banking manoeuvre. It’s very, very advanced technology. It can move very fast, and it can’t be detected on any of the systems that we’ve currently got.
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‘We ended up using some Special Forces equipment, and nothing actually worked, to my knowledge. Nothing ever suggested to me we knew what we were doing, or what we were dealing with.. ‘
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‘The officer said that the drones´ average recorded flight time was around three to four hours – similar to the Langley incident – and which c
*[Read full article at Liberation Times]*