Drone attacks disrupt operations at airports across Russia
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight prompted Russia's civil aviation regulator to restrict flight activity at airports including Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky, with dozens of airports affected in total.
Ukrainian drone attacks overnight forced Russia's civil aviation regulator, Rosaviatsiya, to restrict flights at airports across the country, Interfax reported.
Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports were restricted between October 15 and 16, 2026, to ensure flight safety. St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport suspended operations overnight, and Tambov, Yaroslavl and Penza were among the airports temporarily closed. Russian media put the total at 22 airports.
Operations have resumed, though delays continued at Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Pulkovo, according to FlightRadar24 data.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Ukraine launched 644 drones across regions overnight, 57 of them towards Moscow, TASS reported on October 16, 2026. Monitoring channels ExileNova+ and SuperNova+ said Yandex's data center in Vladimir Oblast was also struck. The same facility was hit on October 11, 2026.
Ukraine is seeking a more aggressive approach against Russian airports using AI-guided drones, according to The Atlantic. Plans to attack airports with drones have been discussed before, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had wanted to limit the risk to travelers.
Sources
- aerotime.aeroUkrainian drone attacks cause chaos at multiple Russian airports overnight