Ukraine plans AI-guided drone strikes on Russian airports

Ukraine is preparing a significantly stronger phase of its operation to paralyze Russian airports, according to Ukrainian officials involved in the plan, following October disruptions that caused widespread flight cancellations and delays in Moscow. The current phase has used long-range drones to force airport closures without direct strikes, causing over 345 flight cancellations and nearly 4,000 delays in the week of October 3-9, including a seven-hour closure of two Moscow airports that prevented President Vladimir Putin's plane from landing. The next phase, named "M&Ms," will deploy AI-guided drones capable of evading air defenses to strike airports directly, with mass production planned and one drone already tested in combat in Donbas, though President Donald Trump has not objected to airport targets.