Russia is reportedly stockpiling hundreds of thousands of fibre-optic drones for a future assault on NATO and the Baltic States.
Reports from Ukrainian and Russian intelligence have shown that Vladimir Putin diverted huge numbers of next-generation FPV drones away from the Ukrainian front and into rear depots since late 2025.
The Kremlin may already have amassed up to 130,000 fibre-optic drones, a stockpile that could rise to 200,000 by the end of summer.
FPV drones are especially dangerous because they use hair-thin fibre-optic cables rather than radio signals, making them far harder to jam electronically by NATO defences.
Russian military insiders believe the weapons could overwhelm Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the opening stages of an assault designed to shock Europe into submission before NATO can fully react.
The Kremlin sees the Baltic states as uniquely vulnerable because, although they possess advanced electronic warfare capabilities, they lack Ukraine’s combat experience with mass drone warfare.
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One estimate in the reports suggested that in a Baltic war scenario, there could theoretically be as many as four Russian fibre-optic drones for every NATO combat soldier.
Russian planners also allegedly see Europe as lacking the political will for a prolonged fight over the Baltics — particularly while Donald Trump is in the White House.
In March, organisation Volya said they had received confirmation from sources in the Russian Ministry of Defence that Putin’s plan to ‘invade’ the Baltic states has moved to the next stage.
‘The Russian political leadership believes that European countries will be reluctant to fight a nuclear power, especially without direct support from the United States,’ Volya’s analysis said.
‘Putin and his circle believe that major European countries would not risk going to war with Russia over the Baltic states.’
‘A Russian invasion of Latvia would be presented not as an act of aggression but as a special operation to protect persecuted [ethnic] Russians, while attacks on Estonia and Lithuania would be framed as a response to ‘aggressive militaristic actions’ or ‘terrorist attacks by nationalists’.’
The claims come after hints by Putin that he believes the war in Ukraine is coming to an end. In theory, this could free up the resources and troops for a new conflict.
The Baltic states, all former Soviet republics, have repeatedly warned they could become Putin’s next target if Moscow emerges from the Ukraine war emboldened rather than defeated.
Last year, Finland – which shares an 830-mile-long border with Russia – erected a 10-foot fence with barbed wire along a large portion of the divide between the two countries.
Joel Linnainmäki, a research fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, previously told Metro that the Finnish government is still wary of Russian movement nearby even after the fence was put in place.
‘The fence is for security, of course, but it would be useless against an invasion,’ Linnainmäki explained. ‘It’s not defensive in nature, and we’re not fortifying our border in the same style as the Baltic states are currently doing.’
In Kamenka, around 35 miles from Finnish territory, some 130 installations capable of housing 2,000 troops have been set up since February.
Satellite images revealed a significant increase in provisions of barracks, aircraft, and other infrastructure at four locations near the frontier, which would be a major staging ground for a potential Russian attack on NATO.
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