75 drones 'destroyed' over Moscow as airports close overnight. mayor says
Drones attacked Moscow city and oblast on the morning of Oct. 17, according to Russian officials. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that 75 drones flying toward Moscow were "destroyed."
On the morning of October 17, Russian officials reported that a swarm of 75 drones targeted Moscow and its surrounding oblast. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that the drones were neutralized, but did not disclose how many successfully reached their intended destinations. Debris was observed, and emergency services rushed to the affected areas.
Russian media outlets cited airport closures in Moscow following the drone attack, with both incoming and outgoing flights being halted. Telegram channels reported that the situation had persisted for a second consecutive day, effectively shutting down the city's airspace. Passengers were stranded on planes, awaiting hours before the airspace could reopen.
According to Rosaviatsia, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Moscow's primary airports - Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky - experienced closures between midnight and 7 a.m. on October 17. The airspace over the capital was reportedly blocked, forcing flights to be rerouted to other regions and causing significant delays for passengers.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that 610 drones were intercepted overnight across 15 regions of Russia, including Moscow and Leningrad oblasts. On October 15, Rosaviatsia had already imposed restrictions on arrivals and departures at 22 airports, including the aforementioned key airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, and Samara.
Sobyanin had previously reported an attack involving drones after a series of flight delays and cancellations in Moscow on October 10.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
