Moscow, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Japan has contributed to the killing of Russian civilians through its cooperation with Ukrainian drone developers, further worsening bilateral relations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said on Saturday.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko attends an event in Moscow, October 7, 2025. (File photo: VCG)

"Given Ukraine's systematic terrorist provocations using UAVs against civilian targets on Russian territory, we qualify such cooperation with the Kyiv regime as an openly hostile action. Ukrainian drones are killing Russian civilians, and Tokyo is helping them do so," Rudenko said in an interview with TASS news agency.

He added that Japan's deepening involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is further eroding the already strained Russia-Japan relations