Ukrainian Plot to Attack Moscow-based Defense Enterprise with 35 FPV Drones Foiled

The Russian Federal Security Bureau (FSB) busted a Ukrainian Intelligence plot to attack a Moscow-located defense enterprise with FPV drones in the nick of time- just as the UAVs were being launched.

This follows the cracking of another plot by the FSB yesterday in which several airfields in the Russian hinterland hosting Su-57 fighter jets were planned to be attacked with FPV drones from close quarters.

The terrorist act was planned by the Ukrainian intelligence agency (SBU) against a strategic enterprise located in the residential sector of the Moscow region for which UAVs and explosives were smuggled into Russia weeks ago.

It was planned to remotely launch 35 FPV drones equipped with Canadian-made EW-resistant control systems from a rented hangar located next to the enterprise. However, the plot was busted just as some of the UAVs were being launched. FSB operatives destroyed all the UAVs besides killing one person and arresting several others, the FSB said in a statement.

In preparation for the attack, operatives working on behalf of the SBU rented a hangar next to the intended target and equipped it for launching drones.

The hangar was rented by a Russian citizen recruited by the SBU, and two Moldovan citizens - Victor Pirlog and Aurel Kalos, who had previously undergone training in assembling FPV drones. They were to prepare the drones for launch.

In addition, a few 13-year-olds were also involved in the scheme, who activated illegally purchased SIM cards to trigger the drones and guide them to their targets.

Another member of the group was a former fighter of the Wagner PMC, who was amnestied in 2023. And the direct coordinator was a citizen of Ukraine and the United States, known to the public as a video blogger under the pseudonym "Kyivstoner". He currently lives in Spain and Slovakia and, according to the FSB, combines media activities with drug trafficking, the FSB said.