British parts found in Russian drones used in deadly strikes on Ukraine, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky has called for tougher sanctions for British firms supplying parts for Russian drones being used to bomb Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president criticised allies for supplying components to Russia, claiming hundreds of thousands of foreign-made parts were used in a strike on Sunday morning in which several people died.

Mr Zelensky said in a post on X that microcomputers for flight control produced in the UK were found in drones used in the attack, along with other parts from other allies, including the US.

Four people, including a 15-year-old, died and six more were injured in Sunday's combined drone and missile strike on Lviv, according to regional officials.

It was the largest aerial assault on the historic western city and surrounding region since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24 2022, according to Maksym Kozytskyi, head of the local military administration.

Separately, a nighttime assault on Zaporizhzhia killed a civilian woman and wounded nine others, including a 16-year-old girl, while six people, including a child, were injured in Sloviansk, a key city in the eastern Donetsk region.

In a post on X on Monday morning, Mr Zelensky said: "In the fourth year of the full-scale war, Russia continues to obtain components for producing weapons.

"During the massive combined strike on Ukraine on the night of October 5, Russia used 549 weapon systems containing 102,785 foreign-made components - from companies in the United States, China and Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the Netherlands."

Mr Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing new sanctions against those who help Russia, with proposals to curb the supply schemes.

He added: "Partners already possess the detailed data on each company and each product - they know what to target and how to respond.

"This week, the G7 sanctions coordinators will meet, and we expect a systemic decision to ensure that the sanctions are truly effective.

"It is crucial to shut down every scheme that circumvents sanctions, because Russia uses each one to keep killing. The world has the power to stop this."

The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment.