Russia's FSB foils Ukrainian drone attack on air bases

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it had thwarted a series of attempted large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks against two military air bases deep inside Russia. State news agency TASS cited the FSB as stating that Ukrainian secret services had attempted to strike the Shagol and Ukrainka air bases, located in Russia's Ural Mountains and far east, respectively. The FSB reported that the perpetrators of these attacks have been detained.

According to the FSB's statement, Ukraine had utilized balloons and drones to deliver containers filled with drones into Russia's Bryansk region, with the intention of transporting them to the two targeted air bases. The foiled operation was described by the FSB as resembling a 2025 attack on Russian military air bases, including Ukrainka, which reportedly destroyed around 10 Russian aircraft, according to the United States.

Further details indicate that Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry was planning a terrorist attack on the Rostov-Tsentralny military airfield using FPV unmanned aerial vehicles. The FSB stated that a Russian citizen, who had already received an advance payment, voluntarily disclosed the plot, having been promised a cash reward by Ukrainian intelligence after the strike.

The plan reportedly involved 13 drones equipped with artificial intelligence systems, each carrying over 1 kilogram of explosives, with the objective of destroying the airfield's infrastructure, killing personnel, and disabling the aircraft fleet. Russia's Federal Security Service announced the seizure of Western-made, AI-powered FPV drones intended for attacks deep within Russia. The FSB stated that Ukrainian agents transported these drones, each carrying over 1 kg of explosives, across Russia to the Chelyabinsk and Amur regions before they were apprehended.