Media: Russian airports faced nearly 1,000 drone-related closures in August

Russian airports were closed 993 times in August due to drone attacks, exceeding the total number of such closures recorded throughout 2025, Bloomberg cites data from aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions.

The number of airport closures in August was more than one-third higher than in July. Overall, Russian airports were closed 2,182 times during the three summer months, compared with 1,923 closures recorded in all of 2025.

Osprey Flight Solutions also recorded a monthly record for August, estimating that around 16,000 Ukrainian drones entered Russian airspace. The company recorded approximately 11,000 drones in June and 13,000 in July.

The disruptions have also affected airport-related operations. Following a drone attack on the Rosneft-Kubannefteprodukt oil depot in Sochi’s Adler district on September 4, one of the two aircraft-fuelling operators at Sochi Airport suspended operations.

The developments come after Kyiv appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to prohibit civilian aircraft from flying over Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also warned foreign airlines about the risks of operating flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, subsequently said it had received no notifications from foreign airlines regarding mass cancellations or changes to their flight schedules to Russia.

The agency separately addressed the situation involving Turkish carrier Pegasus Airlines, saying that several charter flights had been cancelled for technical reasons. Rosaviatsiya said Pegasus subsequently requested additional flights, which were approved by the agency.

By Sabina Mammadli