Russia reopens airports after overnight drone assault on capital and regions

Fourteen Russian airports were temporarily closed overnight on October 29 following another wave of drone attacks targeting Moscow and several regions of the country.

According to the Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia, cited by Russian media, flight restrictions were introduced at more than ten airports during the night but were lifted by morning. 

As of 06:17 local time, all airports across Russia were operating normally. Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports in Moscow resumed operations during the night, while one aircraft en route to Sheremetyevo was diverted to a reserve airfield during the restrictions.

This marked the fifth consecutive day of drone attacks on the Russian capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down overnight, adding that “emergency services specialists are working at the site of the fallen debris.”

Flight operations were also temporarily suspended in several regional airports, including those in Volgograd, Gelendzhik, Kazan, Krasnodar, Ulyanovsk, Cheboksary, Vladikavkaz, Grozny, Kaluga, Penza, Samara, and Saratov. Three aircraft heading to Samara and one bound for Volgograd were redirected to alternate airfields.

In a separate statement, Tula Region Governor Dmitry Milyaev said that seven Ukrainian drones had been intercepted overnight. “There are no casualties. No damage to buildings or infrastructure has been recorded,” he wrote.

By Tamilla Hasanova