Deadly Shahed drone on show in Parliament as Speaker warns frontline is getting closer
The Speaker of the House of Commons has warned MPs that "the frontline is getting closer" as Russia tests Nato defences.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle was addressing 400 MPs and standing just metres away from what is believed to be one of the original 6,000 Shahed drones Iran gave to Russia's president Putin.
"Not only should our support for Ukraine heighten, but we must also not let our guard down," Sir Lindsay said.
A Shahed-136 on display in Portcullis House was a sobering reminder of the destruction these drones are causing.
"It's spooky seeing it up close. It looks evil," one person turned to me and said.
"These kamikaze drones, which are often loaded with explosives, are not only cheap to make, but deadly. And their sights are not just set on Ukraine," Chorley MP Sir Lindsay said.
"These unmanned aircraft have breached the airspace of Romania and Poland, and similar sightings have been reported in other countries, including Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Lithuania."
Sitting in the front row was Ruslan Stefanchuk, the ​Speaker of Ukraine's Parliament, who also addressed MPs.
"Today, on the eve of a fourth winter of war, one that may prove to be among the most difficult in Ukraine's modern history, we are in greater need than ever of the strengthening of your reliable assistance," he said.
"Russia is stealing Ukrainian children, and, in an appalling display of cynicism, suggesting they be traded for captured Russian soldiers," he added.
"But Russia not only sows death and continues its aggression, like it's doing with the Shahed drone displayed here, it keeps testing the limits of what is allowed."
He thanked Sir Lindsay for visiting the town of Bucha earlier this year, praising him for being the first Speaker since Sir Douglas Clifton Brown, who visited Normandy after the Allied landings in 1944, to visit an active combat zone.
Since then, the two Speakers have become friends.
Harking again back to the Second World War, Mr Stefanchuk quoted Sir Winston Churchill, referencing his Fulton speech, when describing the nature of the Russians, saying: "I am convinced that there is nothing they [the Russians] admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for weakness, especially military weakness.
"The democratic world has no right to linger. It has no right to turn a blind eye to Russia's dictatorial succession."
He was full of praise for the UK's support since the war began and defiant that the Ukrainian people will continue to fight for full freedom.
"We will not give up a single inch of land occupied by the enemy for our children and grandchildren are to live here," the Ukrainian said.
"We will not abandon any of our compatriots, whether under occupation or held in captivity, for they are our people.
"You would not stop the fight. You would not give up. You would not abandon. Thank you for your steadfast support."
Meanwhile, Nato defence ministers gathered in Brussels with US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, saying that European leaders are sending a clear message to Russia that now is the time to end the war in Ukraine.
"If this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression," Mr Hegseth stated.
"If we must take this step, the US War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do."
As Kyiv continues to endure this bloody conflict, they will be hoping more than ever that Nato will step up enough for peace to be finally achieved.
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