A nighttime drone attack brought Moscow's air traffic to a standstill

On the night of Friday, October 17, Moscow was attacked by drones. Initially, he stated that 69 drones were allegedly shot down as they approached the city. “Emergency response specialists are working at the crash sites of the UAVs,” Sobyanin wrote.

Later that morning, the mayor reported the destruction of another 75 drones, which, according to him, were attempting to attack Moscow. Thus, the total number of drones that city authorities claimed to have shot down reached 144. At the same time, there is no independent confirmation of all the interception results reported by Russian authorities in these statements.

Moscow Airports Have Restricted Operations

Due to the drone threat, Moscow airports have imposed temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures. This was reported by Russian aviation authorities and the media. The restrictions also affected airports in other regions of Russia.

Due to the closure of airspace, some flights were delayed or rerouted to alternate airports. In particular, five flights from Antalya to Moscow, according to reports by the Russian publication ASTRA, were rerouted due to restrictions at Vnukovo Airport. Passengers on one of the Pegasus Airlines flights said they departed from Antalya at 7:35 p.m. Shortly before landing, they were informed that the airspace over Moscow was closed. As a result, the plane landed at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg around 1:00 a.m.

According to the passengers, they were not allowed to leave the plane after landing. The flight attendants warned that they would have to remain on board until the airspace over Moscow reopened. At that time, it was unknown exactly when that would happen.

A drone threat was also reported in the Leningrad Region

Reports of a drone threat were coming in not only from Moscow. An air alert was also declared in the Leningrad Region. Around 2:10 a.m., the region’s governor, Alexander Drozdenco, reported a drone threat and a slowdown in mobile internet speeds.

Restrictions on airport operations and changes to flight routes indicate widespread disruptions in air travel. According to media reports, restrictions were in effect in several regions of Russia that night, and planes were forced to change their routes due to the threat from the air.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 610 drones had been shot down

Separately, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that overnight, its air defense forces allegedly shot down 610 drones. According to the ministry, the drones were intercepted over many regions of the country, including the Leningrad, Novgorod, Tver, Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Oryol, Kaluga, Voronezh, Rostov, Smolensk, and Tula regions.

The Russian side also reported intercepting drones over the Moscow region, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, the Krasnodar Krai, the temporarily occupied Crimea, and over the Black Sea. These figures are based on statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense. There is no independent confirmation of the total number of drones shot down in these reports.

At the time of publication, the main consequences of the attack reported by Russian sources included restrictions on airport operations, flight delays, and the rerouting of flights to other cities. Information regarding possible damage and other consequences requires further confirmation. This was reported by Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of the Russian capital.

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