Fedorov's plan: Ukraine prepared up to 1000 AI drones per night to blockade Moscow airports — The Atlantic

Ukraine considered a large-scale operation "M&Ms" that was supposed to paralyze Moscow's international air traffic and increase pressure on the Russian elite. According to The Atlantic, one of the main organizers of the project was former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov.

The publication writes, citing two sources directly familiar with the plan, that up to 1000 drones per night were supposed to be launched toward Moscow to overcome Russian air defenses.

Not to destroy airports, but to close the sky

The goal of the operation was not the destruction of terminals or runways, but the prolonged closure of airspace around the Russian capital. The constant threat of attacks was supposed to force international airlines, including Turkish Airlines and Emirates, to stop flights to Moscow.

The plan's authors expected that transport isolation would worsen the usual lifestyle of officials, major businessmen, and other wealthy representatives of the Russian elite. As a result, they could increase pressure on Vladimir Putin and push the Kremlin toward negotiations.

Drones were to operate autonomously

A special feature of "M&Ms" was to be the mass use of drones with artificial intelligence-based guidance systems. According to The Atlantic, the devices could move independently to assigned targets without constant operator control.

The project's code name referred to the large number of small, cheap, and almost identical drones needed for such an operation.

Zelensky feared a strike on a civilian aircraft

When the plan was presented to Vladimir Zelensky, he, according to one source, expressed serious doubts due to the risk to civil aviation. The president feared that a drone could hit a passenger plane and cause numerous casualties.

Despite this, preparations for the project were allowed to continue. It was underway in the spring and early summer.

The Atlantic names Mikhail Fedorov as one of the key organizers of the operation. According to the magazine's sources, he helped assemble a team of developers for the autonomous navigation system and attracted funding from European partners for mass production of drones.

After Fedorov's dismissal in July, work on "M&Ms" was suspended. One of the publication's interlocutors believes that the project can be resumed with a new team, but it will take several months.

The Presidential Office denies everything

The Ukrainian Presidential Office categorically denied the existence of the described plan. An OP representative called the publication about such an operation "complete nonsense" and stated that the real Ukrainian strategy was to force Russian authorities to regularly impose a "Kover" mode and temporarily close airports by threatening drone appearances.

Therefore, it is not yet possible to claim that Operation "M&Ms" was actually finally approved and prepared for launch. The key details of The Atlantic's material are based on the words of two anonymous sources, while official Kyiv denies the existence of such a project.

Source: The Atlantic.