According to a report by the US magazine The Atlantic, Ukraine is preparing a new phase of its drone campaign against Russian airports: AI-guided drones are to attack the airports directly, instead of merely blocking the airspace around them as before. This is reported by the English-language Ukrainian news outlet Kyiv Post, citing The Atlantic.
The operation is called “M&Ms”. According to two people familiar with the plan, it was developed under former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Small, cheap drones are envisaged that navigate without human control and can recognise targets themselves. They are to carry detailed maps and images of the targets so that their onboard computers can compare live camera footage with stored data. Once a target is identified, according to the report, the drone dives into it and detonates – without further confirmation by an operator.
According to Ukrainian officials speaking to The Atlantic, the coming operation is to be significantly more aggressive. The drones do not rely on US reconnaissance data and could soon go into mass production. A prototype has already been used in combat in the Donbas, but development is still ongoing. The drones have not yet been used against Russian airports.
What the previous campaign has already achieved
The ongoing campaign has already significantly disrupted air traffic around Moscow. Between 3 and 9 October, according to the figures cited in the report, 345 flights were cancelled at Russian airports and numerous were delayed, with some passengers waiting ten hours or longer. On 10 October, there were 692 further delays and 93 cancellations, and on 14 October, 238 delays and 124 cancellations. According to the report, the Moscow airport network was out of operation for an average of around three hours per day.
Even President Vladimir Putin’s aircraft was unable to land in Moscow on 9 October, according to the report, when he returned from Turkmenistan – two of the four capital airports were closed for seven hours during a drone attack. A military official familiar with the operation told the magazine that the presidential plane had not been a target: “That was pure coincidence. Simply a coincidence.”
Longer airport closures could, according to the report’s assessment, prompt international airlines such as Turkish Airlines and Emirates to reconsider their flights to the Russian capital – with consequences for an important link between the Russian elite and the outside world.
Dispute with Washington over refinery attacks
The planned expansion of the campaign comes at a time of growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington. The trigger is Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure. On 9 October, US President Donald Trump announced an agreement allowing Russia to supply diesel to the US and the world market. According to zn.ua, a temporary licence applies to deliveries until 7 April 2027.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the British Financial Times on 14 October that Kyiv would no longer observe the pause in attacks on refineries: “The blockade is gone. We are done with it.” In the night of 15 October, Ukraine attacked a refinery in the Ryazan region, around 300 kilometres south-east of Moscow, causing a fire there. Later that day, in an interview with the broadcaster Newsmax, Trump called the resumption of refinery attacks a “disgrace”.
Zelenskyy had previously, in an interview with the British presenter Piers Morgan on Wednesday, described the diesel agreement as a “simple victory” for the Kremlin. “It is a pity that we are losing a strong partner,” he said. At the same time, he accused Trump of taking Russia’s side in the war. “This is our country, our body, our home, our children,” Zelenskyy said. “That is why it hurts when Trump chooses a side.”
Ukraine had temporarily suspended attacks on Russian refineries at Washington’s request. Kyiv argued that an energy ceasefire must apply to both sides and must not restrict Ukrainian retaliation, while Moscow continues to attack Ukraine’s power grid. According to The Atlantic, Trump has so far not publicly protested against attacks on Russian airports or data centres.
A plan with open risks
According to the report, the plan for “M&Ms” was already presented to President Zelenskyy in early 2026. He is said to have expressed concerns about the risks to civilian aircraft, passengers and airport staff, but allowed preparations to continue. An adviser told the magazine: “That would be piracy. The president does not want to allow that.” In Europe, this restraint is not met with understanding everywhere. “It is unfair that one side breaks all the rules of war and the other holds back,” said a senior representative of a European country.
The report also points to the risks for global aviation: in early August, German authorities discovered a suspected Russian drone with explosives on board at an airport near Leipzig. A month later, according to the report, Russian drones targeted the aircraft of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as he took off from Moldova to Norway.
At the same time, the report shows how much the campaign has long been hitting Russian digital infrastructure as well. A new wave of attacks on data centres mainly hit the Jandex group, on which a large part of the Russian digital economy is built. Users complained en masse on social networks. According to the estimates cited in the report, the company could take up to six months to restore the damaged centres.
For parts of Zelenskyy’s team, the situation nevertheless looks bleak. The diesel agreement brings the Kremlin billions in revenue for the military budget and lifts part of the US sanctions, the report says. An official involved in planning the Moscow airport blockade said: should the US side with Russia, Ukraine would have no choice but to abandon escalation and make peace. “Now it has become clear that Russia will not collapse under the difficult economic situation,” he said. “That means we must change our strategy.”
Editor’s note: The assessment of whether the new drone campaign will actually force Moscow into concessions depends largely on how strongly the US continues to support Ukraine – a question that is currently open.
