Moscow’s four main airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky – temporarily halted flights and rerouted more than 130 jets after airspace disruptions following a Ukrainian drone assault, according to a BBC report published Sunday.
By morning, only Vnukovo and Kaluga’s Grabtsevo remained closed, the report said.
Massive Drone Interception
The Russian defence ministry claimed shooting down 142 Ukrainian drones, including 27 over the Moscow region, with others reported to have been intercepted across the Black Sea and border areas, as reported by Reuters.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed four drones were also downed Sunday morning near Moscow.
Kaluga Also Affected
Outside Moscow, Kaluga International Airport was briefly closed after 45 drones were reportedly intercepted since Saturday morning.
Flight Chaos for Travellers
At least 140 flights were cancelled and over 130 diverted as a result of the drone barrage, the news agency quoted Russia’s aviation watchdog as saying.
The Association of Tour Operators (ATOR) reported Moscow airports were shut down nearly ten times within 24 hours due to the Ukrainian strikes.
Blowback: Civilians Killed in Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least three civilians, local authorities said, per Reuters.
In the Donetsk region, two people were reportedly killed by Russian strikes; a 78-year-old woman died as homes burned in Sumy.
Drone Warfare Intensifies
According to The Guardian, Ukraine’s air force downed 18 of 57 Russian drones overnight and disrupted another seven via radar jamming.
Other regions under attack included Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia.
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