- And after the brain-controlled pigeons come brainwashed human drones.
In the great game of global political and military powers, nations are often willing to take any steps necessary to get ahead of their rivals. Even if those steps are both bizarre and moderately disconcerting.
Russia, for instance, is allegedly developing technology to turn birds, such as pigeons, into remote-controlled surveillance drones.
The scheme sounds like something ripped out of a half-baked spy thriller, but according to a group of exiled Russian scientists, it’s very real. Behind it is Neiry Group, a Russian neuroscience company.
Neiry has reportedly created a technology allowing them to install implants into pigeons’ brains that are capable of controlling their actions. Operators can then take control of the birds in the same manner as remote-controlled drones and fly them around.
By carrying cameras around their necks, the lobotomized pigeons can turn into remotely operable surveillance drones. Neiry claims their technology is intended solely for peaceful purposes.
However, the Russian government is funding the program. Additionally, Neiry’s founder had reportedly gone on record claiming that he wants to start brainwashing people into obedient slaves.
How Does It Work?
The story about Neiry’s pigeon drone project — officially dubbed PJN-1 — was originally published by T-invariant, a news outlet run by “scientists and science journalists who left Russia.” According to them, Neiry began testing their brain-control tech in November 2025.
To prepare a PJN-1, Neiry claims they implant their in-house developed electrodes into the pigeon’s brain. They’re hooked to an electrical stimulator and a battery pack strapped to the pigeon’s back.
A drone operator can send signals to the pigeon’s brain implants that in turn “influence the bird’s desires,” T-invariant writes. For instance, by indicating “left,” the pigeon will fly left.
Neiry claims that the brain implants do not harm the birds or shorten their lifespans. However, the company has not published any scientific papers about how the installation process or bird manipulation actually works, so it’s impossible to say what’s actually happening behind closed doors.
But does it work? Actually, yes — sort of.
An archived test video in a laboratory setting shows a pigeon flying left or right as the operator commands. The bird’s flight, however, doesn’t look all that natural. How far it could actually fly with the probes in its skull is anyone’s guess.
Why Are They Doing This?
It’s not too hard to imagine why a company in a country like Russia would be working on turning birds into surveillance drones. After all, conventional drones that aren’t horrifying amalgamations of machine and flesh come with all sorts of limitations.
Regular drones are expensive and have surprisingly limited operational ranges. Additionally, they’re hardly conspicuous, so citizens and foreign powers alike will certainly notice their presence.
Birds, on the other hand, are everywhere, so a drone-ified pigeon can move relatively unnoticed. They won’t show up on radar, and even the most paranoid, tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorist won’t keep an eye on every bird in the sky.
Additionally, the pigeon drones can fly for long periods (up to 300 miles, according to Neiry), don’t need refueling, and won’t cause accidents if they happen to fall from the sky. The company also claims that, unlike regular military animals, the PJN-1 pigeons require no training as they will slavishly obey their brain implants.
Neiry, of course, insists its camera-equipped surveillance pigeons are manufactured only for purposes of peaceful operations. However, considering who’s funding the company, that might be a bit of a questionable claim.
Who’s Behind It?
So, who or what is Neiry? According to T-invariant, the Neiry Group consists of various companies founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Alexander Panov.
In addition to tinkering with pigeon brains, Neiry is active in multiple branches of neurotechnology. Its staff conducts various experiments on rats, cows, and even human-based technologies.
For instance, Neiry has allegedly developed a headset that tracks a person’s psychological state, alongside a nerve stimulator devices that aim to reduce stress and improve sleep.
However, the company has never produced even a single ruble of profit, so it relies entirely on outside investors. One of its main funders, according to T-invariant, is the National Technology Initiative.
This government-linked non-profit organization was set up by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, allegedly under direct instructions from Vladimir Putin. Another organization involved with Neiry is the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, chaired by Putin himself. Finally, there’s the MSU Institute of Artificial Intelligence, which is led by Putin’s (alleged) daughter, Katerina Tikhonova.
What’s more, T-invariant claims Neiry “handles funding on a scale Russian neuroscience has never seen.”
So, it’s supposedly a Russian government-affiliated operation attempting to turn pigeons into low-cost, long-range stealth surveillance drones. We don’t have any more facts, so we’ll leave it at that, but you can make your own conclusions.
‘Selling People to the State’
As we mentioned, Neiry is involved in a lot of different neurotechnologies. And although it’s not quite there yet, the company’s founder Panov reportedly has a rather disturbing goal in mind.
According to T-invariant, he’s aiming for nothing more than selling reprogrammed people to the state to serve as ideal citizens.
In an alleged post on the Telegram platform, Panov claims that been thinking for a long time about “selling people to the state.” According to him, the declining birth rates have created the need to find more people, and he has an idea of how to do it.
By manipulating people using unspecified methods, he wants to start reconditioning them to fit a specific “cultural code.” Essentially, Panov’s ultimate goal appears to be developing a method to freely brainwash people to serve whomever he wishes.
“It is much cheaper than creating and raising a person of our own culture,” he allegedly stated.
That sure paints a picture of a grim future.
Want to read about more insane plans devised by Russia and other superpowers? Check out our list of 8 Bizarre Secret Plots, Schemes, and Weapons from the Cold War.