Russia Furious Over Drone Attacks, Leaks List of Supplier Countries and Targets, Medvedev: Sleep Soundly, Europe

Russia’s Secretary of the Security Council, Sergey Shoigu, has warned Finland and the Baltic countries regarding the rising incidents of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle attacks on Russian territory, which are suspected to pass through those regions. He emphasised that Moscow has the right to defend itself in accordance with international law.

“Recently, cases of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia via Finland and the Baltic countries have become more frequent. As a result, civilians suffer and civilian infrastructure experiences significant damage,” Shoigu stated to the media, as reported by TASS on Thursday (16/4/2026).

According to Shoigu, this situation could arise from two possibilities. First, Western air defence systems are deemed ineffective, as seen in the Middle East conflict.

Second, the relevant countries are considered to deliberately open their airspace, which, in Moscow’s view, means contributing to military operations against Russia.

In the second scenario, Russia has a legal basis to respond. “In accordance with international law, Article 51 of the UN Charter on the inherent right of a state to self-defence in the event of an armed attack applies,” he said.

European Involvement

Shoigu’s statement reinforces Russia’s increasingly tough stance towards the involvement of European countries in the Ukraine conflict, both directly and indirectly. This narrative was then strengthened by a statement from Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council.

Medvedev responded to a publication by the Russian Ministry of Defence that released a list of companies in Europe allegedly involved in producing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Ukraine. He stressed that the list should be understood as potential military targets.

“The list of European facilities producing drones and other equipment should be interpreted literally as potential targets,” Medvedev wrote on platform X. He even added a sarcastic tone: “Sleep soundly, European partners!”