Moscow Airports Temporarily Closed After Ukrainian Drone Attack

ERBIL (Kurdsitan24) – Three of Moscow’s four airports were temporarily shut to air traffic on Sunday after Ukraine launched dozens of drones targeting the Russian capital, according to Russian authorities.

The closures affected Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, with operations suspended between 1300 GMT and 1400 GMT, said Artem Korenyako, spokesman for Russia’s aviation regulator Rosaviatsia. He said the measures were taken “to ensure flight safety.” All three airports partially resumed operations less than an hour later.

The disruptions led to multiple flight delays, including at Vnukovo, Moscow’s second-busiest airport, Russian media reported.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed at least 27 drones approaching the capital. He provided the updates in a series of posts on Telegram.

Ukraine did not immediately comment on the reported attacks. The incident comes amid the nearly four-year war between the two countries, during which both sides have increasingly relied on drone strikes. Russia has repeatedly imposed temporary airspace closures in response to such attacks since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Separately, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said a Ukrainian drone strike earlier on Sunday hit a civilian car carrying a family, killing one person and wounding two others, including a four-year-old child.