US sources on the 20th said Ukraine earlier this year planned to launch
AI-guided drone swarms at Moscow and nearby airports to force international
carriers to suspend Moscow routes and pressure Russia’s elite toward
negotiations. Two sources said the drones would autonomously seek and strike
targets; the plan envisaged launching up to 1,000 drones per night to overwhelm
Russian air defenses. President Zelenskiy reportedly feared the drones could hit
civilian airliners and cause casualties but, seeking leverage to restart talks,
allowed work on the plan to continue for months. The scheme was allegedly
devised by former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov and was shelved after his
July dismissal. A Ukrainian presidential office official denied such a plan
existed.
