Ukrainian drones force closure of Moscow airports

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 19:14 · Archive

Ukrainian drone attacks closed all four of Moscow's airports, forcing Russian government planes to circle unable to land.

Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow forced the closure of all four of the capital's airports on Friday afternoon, disrupting hundreds of flights. Four planes from Russia's presidential Special Flight Squadron, returning from Turkmenistan where Vladimir Putin had attended a summit, were caught circling unable to land. It remains unclear whether Putin was on board any of the planes.

Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 15 Ukrainian drones had been shot down during the attack. Residents reported hearing explosions before aviation authorities imposed flight restrictions at Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports at around 3.40pm local time. Two planes from Putin's fleet were diverted to St Petersburg.

The airports remained closed for roughly six to seven hours. More than 370 flights at Moscow's airports were delayed as a result of the disruption, according to Baza, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel. Footage shared on social media showed passengers forming lengthy queues and sitting on the floor of departure lounges as they waited for restrictions to lift.

How it is being reported

• Russian government planes 'left trapped in the air and unable to land' amid Ukrainian drone attacks on MoscowFlight tracking data showed four planes from the presidential Special Flight Squadron were caught in the disruption as they returned from Turkmenistan.Daily Mail · 9 Oct, 18:46
• Vladimir Putin 'trapped in sky' as Ukraine drone blitz closes Moscow airportsVladimir Putin and other Kremlin officials have reportedly been unable to land in Moscow due to a drone attack on the Russian capital which forced the closure of its airportsThe Mirror · 9 Oct, 17:31

In this story: Vladimir Putin · Ukraine · Moscow · Sergey Sobyanin · Turkmenistan · St Petersburg

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem