Brit running Ukraine drone factory calls for UK Government funds after MP visit
Richard Woodruff has been volunteering in Lviv since June 2022.
A British volunteer who runs a drone factory in Ukraine is appealing to the UK Government for funding after a visit from a group of cross-party MPs.
Richard Woodruff, from East Sussex, who has been based in Lviv in western Ukraine since June 2022, says his kamikaze drones have destroyed more than 100 million US dollars (£79 million) worth of Russian equipment in the last year.
Crowdfunded by private donations from across the world, the seven to 10-inch first person view (FPV) drones are armed with explosives and are used to carry out targeted attacks on Russian military equipment and supplies.
The 31-year-old, who helped establish the volunteer-run drone factory more than a year ago, said he was encouraged by a visit from a group of cross-party MPs who travelled to Lviv over the weekend.
Mr Woodruff said the 14 MPs, including representatives from Labour, the Scottish National Party (SNP), the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, pledged to lobby for backing from the UK Government to support the factory’s drone production efforts.
“They seemed very keen on the idea of trying to find help and support in the UK, especially in the Government, for the factory, which is awesome,” Mr Woodruff told the PA news agency from Lviv.
