Zelensky aborted plan to swarm Russian airports with drones
The operation, known only as M&Ms, would have required up to 1,000 drones per night to be sent into Moscow’s airports to overpower Russian air defences
Ukraine planned to use AI-assisted drones to flood Moscow’s airports in an attempt to push Putin towards negotiating an end to the war.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy considered the plan to block commercial traffic from flying in and out of Moscow during the summer months, The Atlantic reported.
The operation, known only as M&Ms, would have required up to 1,000 drones per night to be sent into Moscow’s airports to overpower Russian air defences.
But when presented with the proposal, the Ukrainian president was reported to have been concerned about accusations of “piracy”, if a drone happened to strike a civilian airliner and hurt passengers, airport staff or flight crews.
Mr Zelenskyy has authorised attacks on Russian soil, but only against targets which carry military significance – in a clear effort to avoid replicating Putin’s tactics of deliberately targeting civilians with long-range city strikes.
Read more: Burnham defies Moscow vowing ‘we back Ukraine 100 per cent' after Russia warns Britain over drones
Read more: Kremlin warns of 'consequences' for Britain after UK drones used by Ukraine to strike Russia
This comes as Andy Burnham has vowed to continue to “support Ukraine 100 per cent” after Moscow warned the UK will 'pay a high price' amid reports British drones were used in strikes on Russia's mainland.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister was asked what his message to Vladimir Putin was after the Kremlin accused the UK of deliberately escalating the war.
Russia had warned of consequences and said the deeper Britain's involvement became in the conflict, “the higher the price it will pay”.
Responding to the threat, Mr Burnham said: “This is the UK doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100% against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin.
“We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers. It remains the case with me.
“We are not fair weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need, and that won’t change.”
It comes after it emerged drones made by two UK companies were reportedly used in a so-called deep strike campaign against Russia.
Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russia in recent months, with long-range missiles and swarms of drones hammering Putin's military industries and energy facilities.
Ukraine has also targeted giant depots for Wildberries – Russia’s largest online retailer – burning billions of pounds of merchandise and bringing the war home to the Russian public more than four years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Russia’s embassy to the UK said in a statement on Monday that the reports “confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis” and accused Britain of “seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy”.
“London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” it added.
“The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kyiv’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and we are committed to providing the equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion.
“Russia should be in no doubt about the resolve of this Government to stand against Russian aggression, in Ukraine and against the UK and our allies.”
Ukraine’s strategy of long-range drone strikes is believed to be aimed at cutting Moscow’s revenue for the war and making Russian citizens feel the impact of the invasion.
It launched three times as many of those strikes in July as it did in January, according to data from Acled, an independent conflict monitor.
Repeatedly hitting deep into Russia has forced its military to stretch air defences over a larger area.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that it had shot down 598 Ukrainian drones over 19 Russian regions, as well as the Black and Azov Seas and the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
Officials on Monday said Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russia killed seven people overnight, while five civilians died in Ukraine after strikes by Moscow’s forces.