Family behind Russia’s deadly Lancet drones own £1.5 million London flat
The son of the man responsible for Russia’s deadly Lancet drones co-owns a £1.5 million London flat and works for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament.
Engineer Alexander Zakharov has been involved in the development and production of drones on behalf of the Russian ministry of defence for over 15 years.
His Lancet machines have been so successful at attacking Ukrainian forces on the front lines that the weapon has been dubbed the “second Kalashnikov” by Kremlin propagandists.
While he arms Russian troops, his wife, Svetlana, and son, Lavrentii, own a property, near the Home Office, that lies a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
According to publicly available listings, the flat, purchased in 2018, is 1,000 square feet, has three bedrooms, a kitchen-diner and an outdoor terrace with views of Big Ben and the London Eye.
The building is Grade II-listed and was once requisitioned by the secret service during the Second World War.
The apartment is co-owned by Zakharov’s youngest son, who has lived outside of Russia since 2015, from the age of 16, studying at University College of London and the London School of Economics.
Since graduating with a master’s degree in conflict studies, the 24-year-old has held various positions at the United Nations in New York, Rome and Geneva.
He currently works as a “graduate professional” at the organisation’s Institute for Disarmament Research, where he studies “strengthening weapons and ammunition management” and “de-mining and humanitarian access”, according to his profile page on its website.
There is no suggestion that he is involved in the family business, CST LLC, which was sanctioned by the British Government in February for its role in arming the Russian military.
However, Russian media outlets reported that Zakharov’s wife, as well as his elder son, Nikita and daughter Maria are involved in the firm.
While the drone manufacturer has been targeted by the UK, there are no punitive measures against the Zakharov family.
Lancet drones first appeared on the battlefields of Syria, used by Russian troops supporting dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the fight against Islamic terrorists.
Moscow has since ramped up its investment in their production for use in Ukraine, with Kyiv’s forces describing the weapon as a major thorn in their side.
Between 2022 and 2023, Russia’s ministry of defence has purchased 5.3 billion roubles (£45 million) worth of drones from CST LLC, according to a report by the Russian news outlet Important Stories.
The single-use unmanned aerial vehicles are often referred to as kamikaze drones or loitering munitions because they explode on impact with their target.
The latest version of the device has a 30-mile range and is capable of destroying vehicles and equipment many times its size and price.
Russian television often airs stories showcasing the Lancet drones, demonstrating their effectiveness against Ukrainian targets.
They’ve reportedly been able to destroy German Leopard 2 tanks and French Caesar self-propelled howitzers, and is now the favoured weapon for Russian counter-battery fire.
Zakharov told a recent broadcast on the state-controlled Rossiya 1 channel that he needed a Segway to move around the newest factory churning out the weapons.
The Telegraph has approached Lavrentii Zakharov for comment.
Western governments have struggled to find legal justification for targeting assets held by the families of Russian arms manufacturers.
Last May, the anti-corruption foundation led by Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny discovered that the family of Boris Obsnovo, the chief executive of Tactical Missiles Corporation JSC, makers of cruise missiles used by Moscow to target Ukrainian civilians, owns property worth €7 million (£6 million) in the Czech Republic.
At last week’s Nato summit in Vilnius, Petr Pavel, the Czech president, said there was a “legal problem” in targeting Obsnovo’s assets.
“So far, there is no legislation that would allow the Czech Republic to either confiscate [his property] or expel him from the Czech Republic. We are looking for ways to solve this problem,” Mr Pavel said.
