The key facts

  • On the night of October 16, flights were restricted at Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky and Pulkovo; about 160 flights were delayed in Moscow and 37 in St. Petersburg.
  • Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported 94 drones shot down, while Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko reported four over the region.
  • The Atlantic: the Ukrainian campaign to paralyze Russian airports is 'only beginning'; mass production of AI drones should begin soon.

Restrictions at Moscow airports

On the evening of October 15, restrictions on receiving and dispatching flights were introduced at Moscow's Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports. According to Rosaviatsia, the restrictions were lifted only by the morning of October 16. Overnight, about 160 flights were delayed at these airports. According to the Moskva agency, most of them were at Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo — 66 and 79 respectively.

94 drones shot down over Moscow

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that during this period, air defense forces shot down 94 drones flying toward the Russian capital.

Pulkovo closure

Overnight, St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport also closed — restrictions there were lifted by 9 a.m. According to Fontanka, 37 flights that were due to depart overnight were delayed or canceled; in addition, the airport was unable to receive nine flights. Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko reported that four drones were shot down over the region.

The Atlantic: the campaign is 'only beginning'

The Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster, citing his sources, wrote that the Ukrainian campaign aimed at paralyzing the operations of Russian airports is 'only beginning'. Back on September 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for taking into account the risk of sudden drone appearances and warned that Russia's sky is 'becoming increasingly dangerous'.

Ukraine's tactics and plans

According to Shuster's sources, in recent weeks Ukraine has been using long-range drones to try to complicate the use of airspace around Russian airports. However, Zelensky has not yet approved the implementation of the original plan, which envisaged more aggressive tactics. A larger-scale version of the campaign involves the use of drones with artificial intelligence capable of evading Russian air defense systems; according to one of the publication's sources, their mass production should begin soon. The publication notes that the original plan was actively promoted by former defense minister (in the source's text — minister for defense affairs) Mykhailo Fedorov, but after his resignation in July, the plan's development stalled.

Increasing frequency of airport shutdowns

In October, shutdowns of Moscow's airports became more frequent. According to Agentstvo's calculations, in the first two weeks of the month, the total closure time of the four airports amounted to 101 hours, compared with 46 hours in September. On the night of October 14, a record figure was recorded: all Moscow airports were simultaneously closed for seven hours.