Ukraine Planned AI-Guided Drone Operation Against Moscow Airports, Later Cancelled
Ukrainian leadership reportedly planned a large-scale operation called M&Ms using approximately 1,000 AI-guided autonomous drones per night to attack Moscow airports and close the airspace to civilian flights. President Zelenskyy expressed concerns about civilian aircraft casualties but allowed preparation to continue; the operation was ultimately cancelled.
What happened
In early 2026, Ukrainian leadership planned a large-scale operation codenamed 'M&Ms' using AI-guided autonomous drones to attack Moscow airports and nearby sites. The drones were designed to independently locate and strike targets using artificial intelligence systems that compared terrain imagery with pre-loaded maps and photographs.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed serious concerns when Ukrainian officials presented the plan in winter 2026, particularly regarding the risk of civilian aircraft being struck and the deaths of passengers or crew members. Despite these concerns and the significant legal and moral risks associated with autonomous systems independently selecting and striking targets, Zelenskyy allowed preparation of the operation to continue due to desire to increase pressure on Russia.
The operation was ultimately cancelled. The planned scale was approximately 1,000 drones per night to overcome Russian air defenses, with the goal of closing Moscow's airspace to civilian flights for an extended period.
Reported impact
The planned operation aimed to pressure Russia by disrupting Moscow's aviation infrastructure, potentially forcing international airlines to cease flights to Russia and directly affecting Russian officials, oligarchs and wealthy Putin supporters.
The main concern was the risk of misidentifying targets and striking civilian aircraft, causing passenger or crew deaths.
Index analysis
The use of autonomous systems that independently select and strike targets remains a subject of sharp debate regarding compliance with laws of war. The scale and sophistication of the planned AI-guided drone swarm represented a significant escalation in autonomous weapons deployment, though such operations were not unprecedented in the current war.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.