According to him, one of the sources that revealed these plans confirmed that V. Zelensky’s words are directly related specifically to “M&M’s”.
On September 1, V. Zelensky stated that Russian airspace is becoming dangerous for airlines, insurers, and other participants in international flights. According to him, Ukraine does not pose a threat to civil aviation and does not intend to attack civilian aircraft. At the same time, he emphasized that due to the activity of drones in the sky over Russia, the situation in the aviation sector is changing.
The President of Ukraine separately addressed airlines that continue to operate flights to Russian airports, especially to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other main destinations.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and our relevant agencies will provide international structures with all information about the dangers in Russian airspace. Civil aviation has no place among drones,” emphasized the country’s president.
“M&M’s” – swarms of drones in Russian airspace
On August 21, the publication “The Atlantic,” citing sources, reported that Ukraine planned an operation called “M&M’s,” which would use swarms of autonomous drones employing artificial intelligence.
According to journalists, the plan envisaged launching up to 1000 small drones daily. Their goal was to disrupt the operation of Moscow airports, force international airlines to stop flights to the Russian capital, strengthen the isolation of the Russian “elite,” and create additional pressure on the Kremlin to start negotiations.
Why the operation was then stopped
At the same time, “The Atlantic” noted that preparations for the operation were halted after Mykhailo Fedorov was dismissed from the post of defense minister. According to the publication, he coordinated project funding with European partners and gathered Ukrainian developers to create AI-based targeting systems.
A representative of the Ukrainian president’s office categorically denied the information about the planned operation in a comment to “The Atlantic,” calling these claims inaccurate.
Fedorov himself later confirmed in an interview with “Channel 24” that Kyiv planned a large-scale operation using drones under the code name “M&M’s,” which could have included strikes on the infrastructure of the Russian capital.
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Fedorov did not disclose details about the operation’s objectives but noted that its implementation in the future is not ruled out.
Turkish company canceled flights
15min reminds that the largest private Turkish airline “Pegasus” turned its planes around in the air and canceled flights to Moscow on Tuesday following Volodymyr Zelensky’s words about plans to “close” Russian airspace.
“Russian airspace is unsafe”
“We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses major Russian airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe,” said V. Zelensky.
He clarified that Kyiv will not attack civilian aircraft, but there will be drones in Russian airspace “on such a scale that must be taken into account.” According to him, this will primarily affect Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other important travel points.
Vladimir Putin reacted angrily to V. Zelensky’s statement, reminds “The Moscow Times.” “We will find something to respond with. Let no one doubt that,” said V. Putin.
In turn, Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin promised not to allow “any significant disruptions” in civil aviation operations.
“We will definitely handle this in the coming years,” summarized A. Nikitin.
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