Russian security officers have thwarted a major plot by Ukrainian intelligence agencies to smuggle AI-guided drones into Russia with the aim of targeting key defense industry facilities and military airfields, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The failed operation, described as “unprecedented in scale and the level of threat,” was prepared by Ukrainian spies with direct involvement from their Western handlers, FSB stated on Monday.
FSB operatives uncovered plans for Ukrainian intelligence agencies to deliver explosive-laden FPV drones and mobile ground control stations to Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. The drone components were transported into Russia using fixed-wing UAVs and balloons before being moved by road via civilian vehicles with trailers equipped with false bottoms.
The hardware was delivered to areas adjacent to the Ukrainka airfield in Amur Region and Shagol airfield in Chelyabinsk Region, where it was assembled and prepared for deployment in garages rented by suspects. FSB officials reported that all perpetrators were detained at the time of the operation, and a total of 24 explosive-laden FPV drones—each carrying explosives equivalent to more than one kilogram of TNT—were seized. The drones featured AI control modules manufactured in Britain, the United States, Canada, and Sweden with electronic warfare resistance capabilities.
Additionally, two mobile ground control stations with self-destruct mechanisms and communication devices used by Ukrainian agents to contact their handlers were confiscated. Last week, FSB also reported the seizure of 13 AI-powered drones smuggled by Ukraine’s military intelligence service (HUR) with the intended purpose of attacking a military airfield in Russia’s Rostov Region.
