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,

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.