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Flight restrictions at Moscow’s four airports and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport disrupted nearly 200 flights from the evening of October 15 into October 16. Russian officials reported shooting down drones near Moscow and in Leningrad region; the full extent of damage and the cause of each airport closure were not independently established in the report.
Flight restrictions at four Moscow airports and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport disrupted nearly 200 flights overnight from October 15 to October 16, according to Russian news reports, after officials said air defenses had intercepted drones near the two cities. The closures interrupted arrivals and departures across Russia’s largest urban centers, though the available reports do not establish the extent of any damage or provide a complete account of the incidents.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, known as Rosaviatsiya, restricted flights arriving at and departing from Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky starting on the evening of October 15. The restrictions remained in effect until early October 16. The Moskva news agency reported that almost 160 flights at the four airports were delayed or canceled, with 79 affected at Sheremetyevo and 66 at Vnukovo. The report did not give separate figures for Domodedovo and Zhukovsky.
Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg was also closed, with flight restrictions lasting until 9 a.m. on October 16. The local outlet Fontanka reported that 37 departing flights and nine arriving flights there were canceled or delayed. Combined with the Moscow figures, those reports put the number of affected flights at close to 200. The accounts group cancellations and delays together and do not specify how many flights fell into each category.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air-defense forces had shot down 94 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital since the evening. Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said four drones were shot down over his region. These are statements by Russian officials; the report did not independently verify the interception figures or provide details of drone damage, casualties or the precise locations of the interceptions.
Disruption Across Two Major Cities
The overnight restrictions affected air travel at airports serving Moscow and St. Petersburg, leaving passengers facing cancellations, delays and uncertainty about onward connections. The reported total covers almost 200 flights, but because the figures combine delays and cancellations, it does not show how many travelers were stranded or how long individual trips were disrupted.
The closures also add to a pattern of repeated interruptions reported at Moscow airports during October. When authorities restrict airspace in response to perceived security threats, airports may have to pause arrivals and departures even if no damage at the terminals is reported. The immediate operational consequence is clear: flights were disrupted across five airports. The scale of any wider impact on Russian aviation or passengers cannot be established from the figures provided.
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October Closures at Moscow Airports
The October 15-16 restrictions followed a month in which Moscow airports were reportedly closed more often than in September. Independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo calculated that the capital’s four airports were closed for a combined 101 hours during the first 14 days of October. It reported 46 hours of closures across all of September. The figures refer to closure hours, not the number of affected flights, and the report does not describe the method used to calculate them.
The broader drone campaign is also part of the reported context. The Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster wrote the day before, citing sources, that Ukraine’s campaign to disrupt operations at Russian airports was “just getting started.” Shuster’s description is an attributed assessment based on unnamed sources, not an independently confirmed account of an official Ukrainian plan.
On September 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian skies were “becoming unsafe” and that drones would appear in them in a way that would have to be reckoned with. Shuster reported that Ukraine had used long-range drones in recent weeks to make airspace around Russian airports harder to use. He also wrote that Zelensky had not approved the original plan, which he described as calling for more aggressive tactics. The source report does not detail the plan or independently establish its status.
“Air defense forces shot down 94 Ukrainian drones heading toward the Russian capital since the evening.”
— Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin
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Damage and Flight Totals Unclear
The reports do not say whether the drone interceptions caused damage, whether there were casualties, or whether any drones reached their intended targets. The interception numbers came from Russian officials and were not independently confirmed in the material available. It is also unclear whether every flight disruption was directly caused by drone activity, as opposed to broader airspace restrictions.
The reported flight totals are approximate and combine delays with cancellations. No passenger count, airline-by-airline breakdown, length of individual delays or information about missed connections was provided. The source material also does not explain when each Moscow airport resumed normal operations beyond saying restrictions lasted until early October 16, or whether the incidents prompted additional security measures.
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Airport Operations After Restrictions
The restrictions described in the reports had ended by the morning of October 16, with Pulkovo’s measures lasting until 9 a.m. Travelers would need to check directly with airlines and airports for updated schedules, as the reported figures do not show the status of individual flights or any continuing disruption.
Further official statements or reporting may clarify whether damage occurred, how many flights were canceled rather than delayed, and whether closures continued beyond the time windows given. The source material does not provide a scheduled briefing or a confirmed next operational milestone, so the status of any further restrictions remains uncertain.
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Key Questions
Which airports restricted flights?
Rosaviatsiya restricted flights at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports. St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport was also closed.
How many flights were delayed or canceled?
Reports put the total at close to 200. Almost 160 flights were delayed or canceled at the four Moscow airports, according to the Moskva news agency; Fontanka reported 46 affected flights at Pulkovo. The figures combine delays and cancellations.
What did Russian officials report about the drones?
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses shot down 94 drones heading toward Moscow. Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said four drones were shot down over the region. These figures were not independently verified in the source report.
Were there reports of damage or casualties?
The available report did not establish whether there was damage or any casualties. It also did not provide independently confirmed details about the locations or outcomes of the reported interceptions.
When did the flight restrictions end?
The Moscow restrictions remained in place until early October 16. Pulkovo’s restrictions lasted until 9 a.m. on October 16. The report did not provide a detailed airport-by-airport reopening timeline.
Source: rss
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