Ukraine drew up plans to unleash a swarm of up to 1,000 autonomous drones on Moscow’s airports in a bid to overwhelm Russian air defenses, cripple air travel and pressure the Kremlin back to negotiations.
The operation, codenamed “M&Ms,” was developed under former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and envisioned sending hundreds of small, low-cost drones into Moscow in a single night, according to two sources familiar with the plan.
According to The Atlantic report, the drones were designed to navigate and identify targets without human operators. Their onboard computers would contain detailed maps and images of designated targets, allowing the UAVs to compare live camera footage with data stored in their systems.
Once a target was identified, a drone would dive into it and detonate without requiring confirmation from an operator.
The goal: ground Moscow
The plan was designed to overwhelm Russian air defenses and disrupt Moscow’s four major airports – Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky – potentially for an extended period.
Ukraine hoped prolonged disruption would force international carriers, including Turkish Airlines and Emirates, to reconsider flights to Moscow, cutting off a key link between Russia’s political elite and the outside world.
The operation was also intended to create pressure on Russian authorities and push President Vladimir Putin back toward negotiations to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The plan was reportedly presented to President Volodymyr Zelensky in early 2026. He raised concerns about the potential risks to civilian aircraft, passengers and airport workers but allowed preparations to continue, according to The Atlantic’s sources.
Organizers also proposed warning civilian airlines ahead of the operation so they could avoid Moscow’s airports and evacuate aircraft before the drone swarm arrived.
Project halted after Fedorov’s exit
Preparations were halted in July following Fedorov’s resignation as defense minister.
The sources said Fedorov had spent much of the year developing the project, assembling programmers to build the AI-based navigation system and securing funding from Ukraine’s European allies for autonomous drones.
The project could still be revived.
Zelensky’s office, however, denied the operation existed, calling the report “complete nonsense.”
The official said Ukraine has only one objective involving Russian airports: forcing Moscow to repeatedly impose its “carpet” emergency protocol, which restricts air traffic during security threats.
Ukraine does seek to shut Russian airports down for prolonged periods or even completely, the official said, but lacks long-range weapons precise and reliable enough to strike airports without posing excessive risks to civilians.
Russian airports have already faced repeated disruptions linked to Ukrainian attacks.
According to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, restrictions were imposed 114 times between June 28 and July 28. Moscow’s four main airports accounted for at least 17 temporary shutdowns during that period.
Across Russia, more than 290 similar disruptions were recorded during the first quarter of 2026.