Updated
Updated · The Moscow Times · Aug 12
Russia Postpones Aug. 29-30 Drone Forum Over 120-Km Strike Fears Near Putin Residence
Updated
Updated · The Moscow Times · Aug 12

Russia Postpones Aug. 29-30 Drone Forum Over 120-Km Strike Fears Near Putin Residence

3 articles · Updated · The Moscow Times · Aug 12

Summary

  • Aug. 29-30’s Dronnitsa forum in Veliky Novgorod was postponed after organizers said they received intelligence of a planned Ukrainian attack involving ballistic missiles and alleged “bio-drones.”
  • Organizers said securing the event would force Novgorod authorities and Russian security services to divert air defenses and personnel from factories, bases and other sites in the region.
  • Alexei Chadayev, the forum’s founder, said Ukrainian forces would not have targeted Dronnitsa itself, but he gave no details; Ukraine did not immediately comment, and the claims were not independently verified.
  • 120 kilometers from Putin’s Valdai residence, the annual gathering has run since 2022 as a hub for Russian combat drone operators, electronic warfare specialists and volunteers supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Insights

Could a mere rumor of a Ukrainian strike have successfully dismantled Russia's major military drone gathering without a single shot fired?
Why is Russia leaving a top military tech forum defenseless just 120 kilometers from Vladimir Putin's highly guarded Valdai residence?