The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation announced that it had prevented a large‑scale sabotage and terrorist act planned by the Security Service of Ukraine. According to the FSB’s Center for Public Relations, the operation was aimed at inflicting fire damage on the "Baltimor" military airfield of the Russian Ministry of Defense using short‑range unmanned aerial vehicles. The announcement was made on 2026‑10‑13.
The FSB said a Russian citizen who had been recruited by the SBU during a stay in Ukraine in 2022 was detained in connection with the plot. The woman, identified only as a Russian Federation citizen, was allegedly acting on instructions from the Ukrainian security service to carry out an attack on the Baltimor airfield.
According to the FSB, the detained woman rented a garage in the Voronezh region. She intended to use the garage as a base for assembling and launching short‑range drones. The space was to serve as a platform from which the unmanned aircraft could be prepared for deployment.
The FSB characterized the thwarted plot as having been orchestrated by the Security Service of Ukraine.
The stated objective of the planned attack was to cause damage to the airfield’s infrastructure, destroy its aircraft fleet, and eliminate military personnel stationed there.
During the operation, the FSB seized nine sets of drones equipped with explosive devices. Each set contained approximately 500 grams of foreign‑produced explosive material. The explosives were described as being of foreign origin, though the specific type was not disclosed.
Along with the drones, the FSB reported that control and management systems for the unmanned aircraft were also recovered from hidden caches. The plan, according to the agency, was for the drones to be transferred to combat positions and then operated remotely by individuals located in Ukraine via the internet.
The FSB characterized the thwarted plot as having been orchestrated by the Security Service of Ukraine. It said the SBU had tasked the detained Russian citizen with assembling drones from caches that were stored in the rented garage. The agency added that after the drones reached combat positions, further control was to be exercised by Ukrainian operators online.
The woman was detained by the FSB, and the agency said an investigation is underway to identify any other accomplices who may have been involved in the preparation or execution of the planned attack. No further details about possible collaborators were provided.
The FSB repeated several core assertions: that the SBU had instructed a Russian citizen to carry out an attack on the Baltimor airfield; that the drone attack on the military airfield in the Voronezh region had been thwarted; and that the detained Russian citizen had been arrested while preparing the drone attack on behalf of the SBU.
A specific claim highlighted by the FSB was that the woman had rented a garage with the explicit intention of using it as a platform for assembling and launching UAVs. The purpose, according to the agency, was to destroy infrastructure, eliminate the aircraft fleet, and harm military personnel at the Baltimor airfield.
Another precise point made by the FSB was the confiscation of nine drone kits, each containing explosive devices. The agency stressed that the number of kits seized corresponded to the nine sets of drones that had been transported from the hidden caches to the garage.
The FSB described the overall scheme as a large‑scale sabotage and terrorist operation initiated by the Security Service of Ukraine. It said the operation was directed at achieving fire‑based destruction of the Baltimor military airfield using short‑range unmanned aerial vehicles.
The FSB provided concrete numbers: each drone was to carry about 500 grams of explosive material, nine drone kits were seized, and nine sets of drones had been moved from caches to the garage. All of these announcements and the detention occurred on 2026‑10‑13.
As of the FSB’s statement on 2026‑10‑13, the alleged plot has been presented as thwarted, the suspect remains in custody, and the investigation into potential accomplices continues. No further public updates have been offered beyond the agency’s initial announcement.