Ukraine Planned Secret Operation to Swarm Moscow Airports With AI-Guided Autonomous Drones

The Atlantic reported that Ukrainian officials this winter presented President Volodymyr Zelensky with a plan, code-named "M&Ms," to send up to 1,000 AI-guided autonomous drones a night at Moscow-area airports to disrupt international flights and pressure Kremlin-linked elites toward negotiations, citing two anonymous sources with direct knowledge 1 2. The drones would use onboard AI map-matching to identify and strike targets without pilot confirmation, avoiding the radio and internet links Russia jams 1. Zelensky voiced concern about hitting a civilian airliner but allowed preparations to continue through spring and early summer, and planners proposed warning airlines in advance, according to the sources 1. Both sources said the effort stalled in July when Zelensky dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, described as the plan's architect, and one source estimated a new team could revive it within roughly three months 1. A Zelensky spokesperson declined to comment, and another presidential office official called the report "total nonsense," saying Ukraine lacks long-range weapons precise enough to strike the airports without undue risk to civilians 1. Ukrainska Pravda, Euromaidan Press, and Kyiv Post relayed the Atlantic account without independent confirmation 234.