President Volodymyr Zelenskyy considered a plan to launch a swarm of 1,000 autonomous AI-powered drones at Moscow's airports.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was reportedly presented with a plan to unleash a swarm of up to 1,000 autonomous AI-powered drones on Moscow’s airports in a single night. The operation, codenamed "M&Ms," aimed to overwhelm Russian air defenses and cripple air travel to pressure the Kremlin into negotiations. Developed under former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the drones were designed to navigate independently using AI-based systems to identify and strike targets without human operators. While the plan sought to disrupt international carriers and force a prolonged shutdown of Moscow's four major airports, Zelenskyy expressed concern regarding the potential risks to civilian aircraft and passengers. Preparations for the operation were reportedly halted in July following Fedorov's resignation. However, the Office of the President of Ukraine has officially denied the existence of the plan, calling the reports of the drone swarm operation complete nonsense. Despite the official denial, the project represented a significant potential shift in Ukrainian military strategy to pressure Russia during the ongoing war.