Drone attacks near Moscow prompt flight restrictions at airports
On Sunday night, shot-down drones fell onto the territory of Domodedovo airport near Moscow. Due to the appearance of unmanned aircraft, temporary flight restrictions were introduced at three airports around the Russian capital.
17 March 2024 19:22
Domodedovo is located about 40 kilometres from the centre of Moscow. Overnight from Saturday to Sunday, as official Kremlin agencies report, two kamikaze drones were shot down over it. In the morning, around 9 a.m. Greenwich Time, it was reported that another had been shot down.
One of the machines shot down at night fell onto the territory of an airport warehouse, causing a small fire. The second crashed in one of the parking lots.
Ukrainian sources claim that the drones' likely target was not the airport but a nearby refinery.
Flight restrictions at Moscow airports
Due to drone attacks, three Moscow airports – Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky - introduced flight restrictions on Sunday - reported the Reuters agency, citing Rosaviatsiya, the Russian aviation transport agency. The restrictions were lifted after a few hours.
Ukrainian drone attacks on the night from Saturday to Sunday were also reported by authorities in several Russian regions. The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that over eight regions of the country, 35 Ukrainian drones were destroyed.