Ukraine ‘planned’ drone blitz on Moscow airports

Ukraine reportedly considered unleashing up to 1,000 drones a day on Moscow’s airports in a covert operation designed to cripple civilian air traffic and pile pressure on the Kremlin. The alleged plan, code-named M&M’s, was ultimately suspended — but its reported scale reveals the growing ambition of Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign.

The claims, reported by The Atlantic, have been denied by an official from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, who dismissed the operation as “complete nonsense”.

A thousand drones a day was the proposed endgame

According to two sources cited by the magazine, the plan envisaged cheap autonomous drones using AI-based guidance to identify and strike targets without operators controlling their movements.

The objective was blunt: disrupt Moscow’s aviation network and close its airspace to civilian flights for an extended period. But Zelenskyy reportedly feared the consequences if a drone hit an airliner, killing or injuring passengers or airport workers.

Despite those concerns, preparations allegedly continued through the spring and early summer as Kyiv searched for ways to increase pressure on Russia and potentially revive peace negotiations.

Secret operation advanced before being frozen

The operation reportedly progressed significantly before being suspended in July following the alleged dismissal of its organiser, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

The Atlantic said Fedorov had helped build a team of Ukrainian programmers to develop the autonomous guidance systems and secured European funding for mass drone production. One source claimed the project could be revived within around three months under a new team.

Ukraine’s presidential office has rejected the account outright, leaving the alleged operation unconfirmed.

Moscow is already feeling the drone threat

The claims come as Moscow and the surrounding region face increasingly disruptive drone attacks. On August 18, a major assault was followed by reports that around 10,000 people in the Moscow region lost power.

A second attack the following night forced several airports, including those serving Moscow, to temporarily restrict operations.

Even without the alleged M&M’s operation, the message is clear: Ukraine’s drones are increasingly capable of disrupting life deep inside Russia — and Moscow’s civilian infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important pressure point.

Zelenskyy 'offered' plan to attack Moscow airports with thousands of drones - The Atlantic