The fifth nationwide Dronnitsa gathering for combat unmanned systems operators, scheduled for August 29–30 in Veliky Novgorod, has been postponed indefinitely. Organizers said the decision followed information about a planned Ukrainian strike on the event venue.

The organizing committee said it had received precise and credible information indicating that Ukrainian forces intended to attack participants while the gathering was underway. According to the organizers, new ballistic weapons could have been among the systems prepared for the strike.

Protecting those attending under such conditions would have required substantial air defense and security resources. Organizers said diverting those forces could have weakened protection for civilian infrastructure and industrial facilities in the Novgorod Region and neighboring areas.

They therefore decided not to expose participants to additional risk and postponed Dronnitsa without setting a new date.

Earlier, Western media assessed the ability of Ukrainian drones and missiles to penetrate Russian air defenses. According to those reports, Ukrainian forces have to deploy hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles simultaneously, requiring major resources and lengthy preparation.

The same assessments described the effectiveness of such attacks as low. Western sources claimed that only around 5–9% of drones and missiles launched by Ukrainian forces manage to penetrate Russian air defenses and reach their intended targets.