Mysterious Balloons and Drones Trigger Shutdown of All Four Moscow Airports

All four Moscow airports suspended flight operations on October 9 amid reported drone activity and sightings of small balloons over Moscow and the surrounding region.

Ukrinform reported that Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports introduced flight restrictions as Russian air defenses operated around the capital. Residents across several Moscow districts reported explosions and what they described as air defense activity.

Russian monitoring channels reported drones and small balloons over the Moscow region. Informator added that some balloons carried suspended objects, while Russian authorities had not publicly detailed the number or type of aerial targets intercepted.

The disruption affected hundreds of flights. More than 200 flights were delayed, and around 100 were canceled, while some incoming aircraft were redirected to alternate airports, according to Informator.

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War in Ukraine

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Separately, authorities in Russia’s Yaroslavl region claimed that Russian forces shot down small reconnaissance balloons allegedly launched from Ukrainian territory.

"Reconnaissance small-sized balloons launched from the territory of Ukraine were shot down over the region," the regional government stated, according to Interfax.

Moscow's airspace has come under mounting pressure in recent days, after Russia claimed on October 6 that Ukraine had launched the war's largest combined strike, involving 1,750 fixed-wing drones and 17 Flamingo cruise missiles. Around 650 drones were reported flying toward the capital during that attack.

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