Zelenskyy's airspace warning signals Operation M&M's launch
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Ukraine has launched Operation M&M's against Russian airports (Photo: REUTERS/Marko Djurica)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that Russian airspace is "becoming dangerous" for airlines signals the launch of Operation M&M's, The Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster, who first reported on Ukraine's plans for the operation in August, said on X on Sept. 2.
Shuster said one of the sources who originally told him about the plans confirmed that Zelenskyy's remarks specifically referred to Operation M&M's.
On Sept. 1, Zelenskyy said Russian airspace is becoming dangerous for airlines, insurers, and other participants in international air travel. He said Ukraine poses no threat to civilian aviation and has no intention of attacking civilian aircraft. At the same time, he stressed that drone activity in the skies over Russia is changing the situation for air travel.
Separately, he addressed airlines that continue operating flights to Russian airports, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major destinations.
"Ukraine's Foreign Ministry and our relevant institutions will provide full information to international bodies about the dangers in Russian airspace. Civilian aviation has no place among drones," the president said.
On Aug. 21, The Atlantic reported, citing sources, that Ukraine was planning Operation M&M's, involving swarms of autonomous, AI-guided drones.
According to the outlet's reporting, the plan called for launching up to 1,000 small drones per day, aimed at disrupting operations at Moscow-area airports, forcing international airlines to halt flights to the Russian capital, deepening the isolation of Russia's elite, and increasing pressure on the Kremlin to begin negotiations.
The Atlantic reported that preparations for the operation were paused following Mykhailo Fedorov's dismissal from his post as defense minister. According to the outlet, Fedorov had been coordinating the project's financing with European partners and recruiting Ukrainian developers to build AI-based targeting systems.
A representative of Ukraine's Presidential Office categorically denied to The Atlantic that any such operation was being prepared, calling the claims false.
Fedorov later confirmed in an interview with Ukrainian broadcaster Channel 24 that Kyiv had been developing a large-scale drone operation codenamed M&M's, which could have involved strikes on infrastructure in the Russian capital.
Fedorov declined to disclose details about the operation's objectives, saying its implementation in the future was not ruled out.
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