Russia Says It Foiled Ukrainian Drone Attack Plot on Shagol and Ukrainka Air Bases

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing TASS, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on July 13 that it had thwarted what it described as a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack attempt targeting the Shagol Air Base in Russia’s Ural Mountains and the Ukrainka Air Base in the Far East. The FSB said those involved in carrying out the planned attack had been detained, and alleged that Ukrainian intelligence used balloons and drones to move containers filled with drones into Russia’s Bryansk border region before they were transported to the two target locations. The report said the foiled operation appeared similar to attacks on Russian air bases in 2025 that also targeted Ukrainka, which U.S. officials said destroyed about 10 Russian warplanes.