Russia postpones Dronnitsa drone forum over Ukrainian attack fears
Organisers said security services advised diverting air defences from other locations would be necessary to protect the event
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Russia postpones Dronnitsa drone forum over Ukrainian attack fears
Photograph: The Moscow Times (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The Dronnitsa forum, an annual gathering of Russian military drone operators, was postponed indefinitely on 12 August 2026 after organisers received intelligence about a planned Ukrainian attack.
- The event was to be held in Veliky Novgorod, 120 km from President Vladimir Putin’s Valdai residence, raising security concerns that required diverting air defences from other locations.
- Organisers cited consultations with regional leadership and Russian security services as the basis for the decision, though Ukrainian authorities did not comment on the claims.
- None of the right-rated digests below mention the postponement of the Dronnitsa forum.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 5 of the 11 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
58/100
Hype
32/100
11 sources · methodology
Organisers of the Dronnitsa forum, an annual gathering of Russian military drone operators, postponed the 2026 event on 12 August. The decision followed intelligence suggesting Ukraine planned a combined attack involving ballistic missiles and what organisers described as "terrorist bio-drones" during the event. The forum was scheduled for 29-30 August in Veliky Novgorod, a city 120 km northwest of Moscow.
The event is organised by the Coordination Center for Assistance to Novorossiya, a group supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. It brings together drone operators, technical specialists, and volunteers involved in the conflict. According to its website, Dronnitsa aims to promote military unmanned aviation and build a professional community of drone instructors and electronic warfare specialists.
Organisers said the postponement followed consultations with the Novgorod region’s leadership and Russian security services. They stated that protecting the forum would require diverting air defences and security personnel from other locations. Alexei Chadayev, the event’s principal founder, confirmed the decision but did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged Ukrainian threat.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention the postponement of the Dronnitsa forum or the alleged Ukrainian threat that prompted it. The left-rated digests did not include details about the organisers’ consultations with regional leadership and security services, which The Moscow Times reported. The Moscow Times was also the only outlet to provide context on the event’s purpose, its organisers, and its connection to the broader Russian military drone programme.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 13 Aug 2026, 02:01, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
4 rated outlets
- The four left-rated digests led on the threat of a Ukrainian attack as the reason for postponing the Dronnitsa forum. RBC-Ukraine described the Russians as "scared to death of Ukrainian UAVs," while United24 reported that organisers claimed to have obtained "accurate and reliable information" about enemy plans to strike during the event. Meduza and Censor.net both noted the proximity of the event to President Vladimir Putin’s Valdai residence, with Meduza specifying the distance as 100 km.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The Moscow Times, the only centre-rated report printed in full, led on the organisers’ statement that protecting the forum would require diverting air defences from other locations. It quoted the organisers’ Telegram statement directly: "Exposing factories and bases in the Novgorod and neighboring regions for the sake of our own security would be wrong at this time." The report also included details about the event’s history, its organisers, and the role of Alexei Chadayev, the forum’s founder.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The right-rated digest from USSANews did not mention the postponement of the Dronnitsa forum. Instead, it reported on the Russian Defence Ministry showcasing a female drone pilot in a video, highlighting the recruitment of women for combat roles in Russia’s UAV force.
Read it at the source
11 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
4- Russia Was Afraid of Ukrainian Drones and Canceled the Meeting of Drone Operators (opens rbc.ua in a new tab)
- Russia Postpones Major Military Drone Operators Gathering Over Fears of Ukrainian Strike (opens United24 in a new tab)
- In the Russian Federation, the Operator of the B.L.A. Was Snatched Off by an Attack of Stolen Drones, (opens censor.net in a new tab)
censor.net — is censor.net biased? Our profile of this outlet
- In Russia, Drone Operators Were Cancelled Due to the Threat of an Attack by Ukraine and Wanted to Be Held 100 Kilometres From Putin's Residence. (opens Meduza in a new tab)
Centre
1Right
1Not rated
5- Ukrainian Drones Were Scared: in Russia, the Drone Operators' Convention Was Suddenly Cancelled. (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- They Are Afraid of Ukrainian Attacks. The Russians Canceled the Annual Takeoff of Drone Operators (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Because of the Fear of Attacks by the Armed Forces. Russia Canceled the Takeoff of UAV Operators 100 Km From Putin's Residence (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- In Russia, Drone Operators Were Cancelled Due to the Threat of Attack by the U.S.A. (opens RTVI in a new tab)
- In the Great Novgorod, Drone Operators Were Carried over by the Dronnica because of the Threat of an Attack by Ukrainian Drones. (opens currenttime.tv in a new tab)
currenttime.tv — is currenttime.tv biased? Our profile of this outlet
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Russia postpones Dronnitsa drone forum over Ukrainian attack fears?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 67% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 17% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 11. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Russia postpones Dronnitsa drone forum over Ukrainian attack fears left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Russia postpones Dronnitsa drone forum over Ukrainian attack fears biased?
- Russia postpones Dronnitsa drone forum over Ukrainian attack fears is one event reported by 11 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Russia postpones Dronnitsa drone forum over Ukrainian attack fears?
- 11 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why was the Dronnitsa forum postponed?
- Organisers postponed the Dronnitsa forum after receiving intelligence suggesting Ukraine planned a combined missile and drone attack during the event. They cited consultations with regional leadership and security services, which advised that protecting the forum would require diverting air defences from other locations.
- How far is Veliky Novgorod from Putin’s residence?
- The Dronnitsa forum was scheduled to take place in Veliky Novgorod, approximately 120 km from President Vladimir Putin’s Valdai residence. The proximity raised security concerns that contributed to the decision to postpone the event.
- Which outlets reported on the postponement?
- The postponement was reported by left-rated outlets such as RBC-Ukraine, United24, Meduza, and Censor.net, as well as the centre-rated Moscow Times. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the postponement, focusing instead on unrelated military recruitment news.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
,regionOfInterest=(1735,1079)&hash=d83bc8d45db6d022859a52d9c7ed237814da30eb70149038b5a2f8d42a324418)
