Ukrainian drones force Baku-Moscow plane and others to reroute to Saratov

In an unexpected turn of events triggered by the ongoing regional security threats, nine planes headed for Moscow — including one from Baku — were rerouted mid-flight and forced to land in Saratov due to the presence of Ukrainian drones in Russian airspace.

The press service of Gagarin International Airport in Saratov confirmed that aircraft arriving from Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, Georgia’s Tbilisi, Türkiye’s Gazipaşa, Tajikistan’s Dushanbe, Uzbekistan’s Tashkent, and Russia’s Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol, and Sochi (two flights) were diverted to the backup airport, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“At present, the aircraft are receiving ground handling services. Representatives from the airlines are working directly with passengers to provide assistance,” the airport’s press office said in a statement.

The sudden diversions have caused disruption in scheduling, with the airport warning that delayed arrivals at the intended destinations may lead to further hold-ups for connecting or follow-on flights.

At night, 19 drones were shot down over the Moscow region, one of them fell on the Kashirskoye highway. There were no casualties or serious damage. Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports also temporarily suspended operations.

By Tamilla Hasanova