Ukrainian drones shut Moscow airports on Friday, forcing Putin's government jets to circle

Airports closed as drones approached Moscow

Ukrainian drones attacked the Moscow region on Friday, 9 October, and halted air traffic at the capital's airports for hours. According to 20 minutos, which cites The Telegraph, Russia's aviation regulator imposed flight restrictions at four airports (Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky) at around 15:40 local time. Onet Wiadomości, citing the Moscow Live Telegram channel, reported that a defence plan called "Dywan" was activated at three Moscow airports and that at least 120 flights were cancelled and nearly 370 delayed. Onet said the alert that held aircraft on the ground lasted almost 120 minutes and was lifted around 17:30 Moscow time (16:30 Polish time). The Telegraph reported that the restrictions lasted roughly six to seven hours. The New York Times said hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed on Friday, with all four of the capital's airports suspending flights.

Government jets circled the capital

Vladimir Putin had arrived in Turkmenbashi, a Caspian Sea port city, on Thursday evening for a summit of former Soviet states, according to The New York Times. Tass reported on Friday afternoon that he had left the city and boarded a plane for the trip home. FlightRadar24 data showed three Il-96-300PU planes took off from Turkmenbashi that afternoon. The first two made looping manoeuvres as they entered Moscow's airspace, while the third diverted to St. Petersburg before flying on to Moscow. The Telegraph, citing flight tracking data, said four aircraft of the presidential Special Flight Squadron were caught up in the disruption. Video footage showed Putin disembarking in Turkmenistan on Thursday from a jet with tail number 96025, which FlightRadar24 data shows diverting to St. Petersburg, but it is unclear whether he flew on that plane back. The government had not said whether Putin had returned to Moscow, and 20 minutos reported that all four planes were eventually able to land.

Casualties and damage in the Moscow region

Ukrainian drones attacked the Moscow region on Friday, and Governor Andrey Vorobyov gave the casualty figures.

Two people were killed and nine were injured.

Among the dead is a 71-year-old from Barybino, about 60 km south of Moscow, according to the services. The other victim was a 20-year-old resident of Radumlya, northwest of the city centre. Vorobyov said 47 private houses, four apartments and three vehicles were damaged across seven municipalities. Vorobyov's office did not give a separate breakdown for each municipality in the reporting.

Drone interceptions and a pattern of disruption

Sergey Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said Russian aviation had repelled the attack and that 15 drones were shot down. Rescue services were working at the sites where debris fell.

Rescue specialists are working at the sites where the drone debris fell.

Local authorities also said small "reconnaissance balloons" were shot down in the Yaroslavl region, northeast of Moscow. 20 minutos reported that airport disruptions in Russia have increased over the past year as Ukraine stepped up its drone attacks, causing delays and cancellations. The New York Times noted that airport closures in the Russian capital have become common and that there was no indication this latest attack was timed to Putin's travel. Commercial flights have not operated in Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion because of the danger posed by Russian missiles and drones.