Moscow, Russia — Russian air defense systems intercepted three drones heading toward Moscow on Saturday, prompting the temporary closure of two of the capital’s busiest airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, according to city mayor Sergei Sobyanin and aviation authorities.
Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia confirmed that all arrivals and departures were briefly suspended for safety reasons, with over 140 flights canceled and more than 130 diverted. Operations later resumed, but the disruption highlights growing concerns over intensified Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed more than 230 Ukrainian drones were shot down across the country since Saturday morning—27 of them over the capital. Kaluga International Airport, southwest of Moscow, also halted services after 45 drones were intercepted in the region.
Drones were also reported downed in several other areas including the Rostov and Bryansk regions near the Ukrainian border, and over the Black Sea. No casualties were reported from the drone strikes inside Russia.
Russia’s Association of Tour Operators (Ator) revealed that Moscow airports were closed 10 times within 24 hours due to repeated drone incursions. This incident mirrors a similar disruption in May, when over 500 drones launched by Ukraine stranded an estimated 60,000 passengers at airports nationwide.
While Russia contended with aerial attacks, it also continued its own strikes across Ukraine. Ukrainian regional authorities reported at least three civilians killed during overnight Russian air raids. In Donetsk, two people lost their lives in separate strikes, and a 78-year-old woman died in Sumy after residential buildings caught fire. Additional attacks were reported in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukraine’s air force stated it had intercepted 18 out of 57 Russian drones overnight, with seven others reportedly lost due to radar jamming.
Amid this escalation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to peace talks but reiterated that Russia’s primary objective is to achieve its “strategic goals.”
“President Putin has repeatedly expressed his willingness to reach a peaceful resolution, but this process is complex and demands serious effort,” Peskov said in a televised statement.
The latest wave of attacks underscores the continued volatility in the conflict, now in its fourth year, with no immediate end in sight.
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