Russia cancels drone rally over security concerns
Vladimir Putin (Photo: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Russian drone
operator rally “Dronnitsa,” scheduled for late August in Novgorod Oblast,
was canceled over fears that Ukraine planned to attack the event with its own
UAVs, independent Russian outlet Agentstvo.Novosti reported on Aug. 12.
The organizers said the decision was prompted by receiving "accurate and credible information about enemy plans to strike the rally at the time it would be held," the report said.
The rally has been held annually since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This year’s program had included lectures, seminars, workshops, a drone exhibition, and demonstration flights. The event was scheduled for Aug. 29-30.
Organizers said the rally is always held in the same location, listed on the event site as Veliky Novgorod, Lake Ilmen. The agency noted that site is about 120 km from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s residence at Valdai.
In late December 2025, Russia accused Ukraine of
launching nearly 100 drones at Putin's Valdai residence; Ukraine denied the
claim, and analysts at the Institute for the Study of War later said there was
no evidence of such an attack.
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