Russian Airports Face Temporary Shutdown Amid Large Drone Attack

On the night of January 24, Temporary restrictions were imposed on the arrival and departure of aircraft at three Moscow airports, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky, due to a potential drone attack targeting the Moscow region, The Moscow Times reported, citing Artem Korenyako, a representative of Rosaviatsia .

“Flight crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services are taking all necessary steps to ensure flight safety, which remains the top priority,” Korenyako said.

The restrictions were in effect from 12:22 am (GMT+3) at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports and from 1:32 am to 2:12 am at Vnukovo. During this period, six aircraft were redirected to alternate airports for landing.

At 5:00 am, a representative of Rosaviatsia announced the introduction of restrictions at airports in Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Penza, Samara, Saratov, and Ulyanovsk. By 7:00 am, Ufa airport was also closed for departures and arrivals. Later, restrictions were lifted at four of these airports: Penza, Saratov, Ulyanovsk, and Samara.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that overnight, 121 drones were intercepted and destroyed over 13 regions of the country, including six over the Moscow region and one over Moscow itself.

“This marks the largest attack since September 1 of last year, when Ukraine launched 158 drones targeting Russian territory, which were shot down across 15 regions,” The Moscow Times wrote.

On January 10, The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued stricter recommendations regarding the use of Russian airspace, advising airlines operating flights to the EU to avoid five specific regions in Russia.

This warning came after the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane in Aktau, Kazakhstan. On December 26, Azerbaijani government sources confirmed that the crash was likely caused by a Russian surface-to-air missile.