Sky closed over Moscow multiple nights in row as Ukraine resumes refinery strikes
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency announced restrictions at three of Moscow's four major airports, while the Transportation Ministry said the region's aviation operations were under "special monitoring."
Over the past six nights, air travel over Moscow has been restricted, according to flight-tracking data and updates from Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya). The latest restrictions coincide with Ukraine's decision to resume attacks on Russian oil refineries, announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky on October 15.
The closures began on October 16, affecting three of Moscow's four major airports: Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky. Temporary restrictions were imposed on the arrival and departure of aircraft to ensure flight safety.
Rosaviatsiya reported that civil aviation operations in Moscow Oblast were under special monitoring by the ministry and Rosaviatsiya. Flight disruptions were also reported at Sheremetyevo Airport, which is currently the fifth-most disrupted airport in the world. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that nearly 30 drones were intercepted as of 1:30 a.m. on October 17. The sixth consecutive night of restrictions marks long passenger queues and hundreds of flight delays.
Ukrainian President Zelensky had previously agreed to a ceasefire to accommodate demands from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold intelligence from Ukraine. However, Zelensky announced that Ukraine's refinery strike pause was over on October 15. The previous nights, Russia claimed to have shot down nearly 500 Ukrainian drones over Moscow and nearly 100 over the region during Oct. 13-15.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
