Last night, Ukraine’s acting president, Volodymyr Zelensky, used his evening message to announce his threat against civilian airplanes in Russia. He said that Ukraine was now targeting “Russian airspace, which already is, and will increasingly become, a space for our drones and our missiles that are actively and justly responding to Russia’s war—responding to Russian strikes…. Today, we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe. Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such—not a single civilian aircraft. There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account. Although the Russian authorities are not properly informing people about this, Russian airspace will effectively be closing—the war started by Russia is closing its skies.
“We in Ukraine do not want innocent lives to be lost. That is why we are warning our partners: the safe days in Russia’s skies are over. It is important that this is heard by the ambassadors of countries represented here in Ukraine, as well as by ambassadors working in Moscow. Every one of them knows exactly what Russia’s war means for our country and our people, and they must convey this information to their capitals. It is important that the airlines currently flying to airports primarily in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other key destinations in Russia hear this as well…. Drone-infested skies are no place for civilian aviation.”
When asked about Zelensky’s threat, Russian President Vladimir Putin, also yesterday, gave a preliminary response as he spoke with Russian reporters in Bishkek: “I have not heard such statements, but, if this has been said out loud, then it’s simply a requisition for state terrorism. And I would point out that they are asking us to renew negotiations and have in-person meetings. One does not negotiate with terrorists—this is the first thing. And secondly, ... if, God forbid, such tragedies happen, we will find something with which to answer, let no one doubt.”
The less diplomatic Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman and former President Dmitry Medvedev posted on Telegram about “that lunatic clown’s threats against civil aviation in Russian airspace.” He cited Putin’s words, then added innuendo: “And terror always has its sponsors. In this case, the sponsors are the leaders of Western countries—above all, the European ones. And they often travel to Kiev by train….”
Apparently, Zelensky has seized upon the sketchy “M&Ms” operation after it reportedly had been put aside. On August 21, the Kyiv Post reported that former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov had developed the M&Ms plan, to unleash swarms of small, low-cost drones, up to 1,000, on a given night, at one or more of Moscow’s airports—though it no longer was an active project.
It cited the August 20 report by The Atlantic, which had hyped the M&Ms project under the headline “Ukraine Planned to Swarm Moscow Airports with AI-guided Drones.” The drones were “designed to navigate and identify targets without human operators. Their onboard computers would contain detailed maps and images of designated targets, allowing the UAVs to compare live camera footage with data stored in their systems. Once a target was identified, a drone would dive into it and detonate without requiring confirmation from an operator.” There were also supposed to be warnings to civilian airlines ahead of the day’s operation so they could avoid Moscow’s airports and evacuate aircraft before the drone swarm arrived. It had been reported that the project was halted after Fedorov’s exit in July. Apparently, Zelensky decided to reach back into the bag of tricks and revive the project.
Hitler, when desperation kicked in, also had his wunderwaffen.
