Russia Cancels Dronnitsa-2026 Drone Operators’ Congress Due to Threat of a Ukrainian Strike

Russia has canceled the 5th all-russian congress of combat UAV operators, Dronnitsa-2026, which was scheduled to take place on August 29–30 in Veliky Novgorod.

The event organizers announced this on their Telegram channel.

They said the event would be postponed indefinitely due to the threat of a strike by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on the UAV operators’ gathering site.

The center’s representatives stated they had received information about preparations for an operation involving “long-range and ballistic weapons”.

To protect the event, the Russians would have had to redeploy scarce air defense systems from industrial facilities and military bases in the Novgorod region and neighboring regions of Russia.

The Dronnitsa congress is one of Russia’s main platforms for bringing together UAV operators, instructors, combat drone manufacturers, and representatives of Russia’s military leadership.

Previously, Russia appointed Denis Lyamin, chief of staff of the Center Group of Forces, as commander of its Unmanned Systems Forces.