There is something subtly disturbing about the idea of looking at a pigeon – one of those you know very well, with the gray feathers, the blank stare and the characteristic walk of someone who has missed an appointment – and wondering whether it is flying on its own or on behalf of someone else. Russian society Neiry would be experimenting with exactly this: live pigeons, guided through electrical impulses in the brain, equipped with GPS modules and cameras on their backs. The project is called PJN-1 and, according to what has been reported by various international sources, including Forbes Russia, it aims to transform one of the most common animals in our cities into something much more technological than it seems at first glance.
It must be clearly stated that no independent scientific study has yet verified these claims. Information circulates, makes the rounds in the media, but remains shrouded in fairly significant opacity. Yet they are enough – and more – to open a series of questions on the relationship between technology, animals and ethical boundaries that it would be a mistake to put it off until better times.
How biodrone pigeons would work according to Russian sources
The system described by Neiry would be based on electrodes surgically implanted in specific areas of the bird’s brain, connected to a small device placed on its back. This module would integrate a GPS receiver, miniature solar panels and, in some cases, a camera very similar to those installed on our street poles. The electrical impulses sent to the brain would orient the flight with millimeter precision, inducing the pigeon to veer to the right or left as if that direction were its spontaneous choice. According to some statements reported by Forbes Russia, it would even be possible to preload a trajectory into the system, without any traditional training of the animal.
The comparison with NeuralinkElon Musk’s company, is inevitable. A few years ago Neuralink tested brain implants on some monkeys, allowing them to interact with video games via neural impulses. That affair had generated accusations of animal abuse and an ethical debate that was still far from being resolved. With biodrone pigeons the logic is similar, with the aggravating circumstance that the lack of scientific transparency makes everything even more difficult to evaluate. Neiry’s developers speak of a “highly precise” surgical procedure, designed to integrate the microelectrodes with an external control system. Fascinating, without a doubt. And at the same time impossible not to question.
From the carrier pigeon to the hybrid wars of the 21st century
To fully understand why this story is getting around so much, it’s worth taking a step back in history. The carrier pigeon has been an extraordinary military tool for centuries: during the two world wars it carried messages between the trenches with a reliability that many modern systems struggle to replicate. Today the context is radically different, but the underlying logic – using an animal for strategic purposes – has remained unchanged, it has simply evolved in forms that no one would have imagined.
Contemporary wars are fought with often invisible tools. NATO defines them hybrid wars: a tangle of digital operations, disinformation, economic pressure, cyber attacks and advanced technologies. In this scenario, a pigeon flying over a sensitive area has a huge advantage over a traditional drone: it goes completely unnoticed.
Its presence in a square, on a roof, along a fence is so normal as to be invisible. Anti-drone systems do not intercept it, radio frequencies do not disturb it, and its flight autonomy often exceeds that of the most sophisticated electronic devices.
Officially, Neiry claims to be targeting civil applications: monitoring power lines, energy infrastructure, large gas hubs. However, in a geopolitical context marked by growing tensions, the distinction between civilian and military use tends to become a question of perspective. In 2022, Russia stepped up its use of cryptocurrencies to circumvent international banking restrictions.
In 2024, a coordinated disinformation campaign in the Middle East caused sudden swings in the value of Bitcoin, demonstrating how permeable digital markets are to geopolitical strategies.
In 2025, during the global energy crisis, Bitcoin exceeded 120 thousand dollars, becoming a refuge for many investors in a period of profound instability. At the same time, cyber attacks against European companies and episodes linked to organized crime in the world of cryptocurrencies have increased. The battlefield has expanded everywhere: digital networks, financial platforms, IT infrastructures. And now, perhaps, even the sky above our heads.
The point that is impossible to gloss over
There neurotechnology it is one of the most promising frontiers of contemporary science. Brain-machine interfaces are opening new paths in the treatment of neurological diseases, in the improvement of prostheses, in rehabilitation. All this is real, documented, and deserves enthusiasm. However, when these same technologies are applied to animals with the explicit purpose of controlling and using them, the questions become significantly more complicated.
A pigeon undergoing invasive brain surgery gave no consent. This statement seems obvious, but it carries with it implications that are anything but trivial. Scientific experiments on animals exist, they are regulated – at least in part – and often produce knowledge that then improves the lives of many living beings, including humans.
But a project designed to turn an animal into a surveillance or data-gathering tool, with a chip in the brain that alters its flight path without the animal having any chance to react, is in a different category. And international rules on this specific type of experimentation are almost non-existent at the moment.
In Europe, regulations such as MiCA are being discussed, designed to regulate the world of cryptocurrencies and strengthen digital financial security. In terms of biotechnology applied to animals for control purposes, the regulatory gap is still enormous. The biodrone pigeon thus becomes something more than technological news: it becomes the symbol of a progressive fusion between biology and technology that advances much faster than the collective ability to discuss it consciously. A fusion that concerns nature, the one we inhabit, the one we live with every day without almost realizing it, and the way in which we choose, or avoid, to place limits on it.
