Drone Strike on Rostov Air Navigation Facility Grounds Flights at 13 Russian Airports

Thirteen airports across southern Russia suspended takeoffs and landings after a drone struck a regional air navigation facility in Rostov region, delaying or canceling 80 flights and stranding at least 14,000 passengers, Meduza reported on May 8.

The Russian Ministry of Transport announced the suspension of takeoffs and landings at airports in Sochi, Volgograd, Krasnodar, Grozny, Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, Gelendzhik, Makhachkala, Magas, Mineralnye Vody, Nalchik, Stavropol, and Elista.

The drone reportedly hit the administrative building of the state-run Aeronavigation of Southern Russia, which coordinates air traffic across the region. The strike forced several airport zones to suspend arrivals and departures.

Russia's federal aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, issued a NOTAM  advisory to flight crews extending the closures through May 12, though the Ministry of Transport later indicated the timeline could be shortened.

The Ministry of Transport stated that a decision on resuming flights would be taken "in the near future" and instructed airlines to coordinate with Russian Railways to redirect grounded passengers onto trains and buses.

The disruption came on the morning after Russia’s unilateral Victory Day “ceasefire” formally entered into force. The measure, announced by the Russian leader Vladimir Putin on April 28, was set to run from midnight on May 8 until midnight on May 11.

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Russia's Defense Ministry reported intercepting 390 drones and six Neptune missiles outside what it terms its "special military operation zone."

The Rostov strike followed remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, arguing that Russia was never serious about a ceasefire and was instead seeking calm around its Victory Day parade in Moscow.

Zelenskyy remarked that Russian forces continued launching drones, missiles, and guided aerial bombs after Ukraine's own unilateral silence regime began at midnight on May 6.

He stated that any halt in hostilities depended on Moscow's political will and warned that Kyiv would answer Russian strikes in a "mirror" manner.

Ukraine had declared its own ceasefire from midnight on May 6 after Russia announced a May 8–9 truce tied to Victory Day commemorations.

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