Russian aviation authorities halted arrivals and departures at Moscow’s four airports and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo overnight on 15–16 October amid reported Ukrainian drone activity, disrupting almost 200 flights and diverting more than 20 aircraft. Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky resumed operations progressively before dawn, while Pulkovo remained restricted until about 9 a.m.
Rosaviatsiya imposed the measures to protect flight safety as restrictions spread to 22 civilian airports across western and central Russia. The affected facilities included airports in Kaluga, Yaroslavl, Tambov, Penza, Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Samara and other regional centres. Airspace closures in the Leningrad region also disrupted normal routes to Kaliningrad.
Nearly 160 flights were delayed or cancelled at Moscow’s airports, while Pulkovo recorded 46 disrupted services, according to Russian and local media reports. The immediate impact was limited to ground stops, diversions and schedule disruption, with no reported damage to civilian aircraft or airport infrastructure.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that Russian air defences intercepted 94 drones approaching the capital, although the figure was not independently verified. Repeated drone-related closures have intensified operational pressure on Russia’s largest airport system: Moscow’s four airports were reportedly shut for a combined 101 hours during the first 14 days of October, compared with 46 hours throughout September.