nternational • 15:05 • Modified at 15:31 Largest ever drone attack on Russia paralyses air traffic, chaos at airports Author : Mark van Harreveld Ukraine has launched the largest drone attack ever on Russia, forcing the closure of several major Russian airports and causing widespread chaos, The Moscow Times reports. Russia's Defense Ministry said it destroyed 524 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight, marking the largest wave of drone attacks since Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian military also reported destroying several missiles.
During the airstrike, civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended flights at Moscow's Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports and in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod, Kirov, Yaroslavl, Kazan and others, warning of possible cancellations. "The restrictions were imposed to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights," said Artyom Korenyako, a spokesman for Russia's Federal Aviation Administration.
Thousands of passengers stranded Major airlines including Aeroflot, Pobeda and S7 told passengers to expect disruptions as they canceled hundreds of flights for Tuesday and Wednesday. S7 promised to give full refunds to passengers with canceled flights or swap tickets for other flights if seats are available.
In Siberia, transport authorities said more than 4,000 passengers were stranded at airports in 10 cities, with many of the disruptions caused by flights arriving late due to air restrictions at Moscow airports.
The Russian Association of Tour Operators said later on Wednesday that at least 60,000 passengers had experienced flight delays and cancellations as of Wednesday afternoon. "Due to the peculiarities of airlines' planning, these delays and cancellations will not be the end: planes that did not arrive at their destinations on time will also be late for other flights," business daily Kommersant quoted the organization as saying.
Xi Jinping The closures are an ugly blow to the organization of the May 9 celebrations on Red Square, when Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected in Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin and to attend Victory Day. According to the banned news agency Agentstvo, foreign officials often fly into Vnukovo Airport during official visits to Russia.
Read also 'Kremlin preparing false flag attack on home soil' Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense forces destroyed eight drones on Tuesday night and nine early Wednesday morning, marking the third consecutive day of attacks on the capital.
According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, the overnight attacks targeted the Kubinka air base in the Moscow region and the Shaykovka airport in the Kaluga region. Meanwhile, in Kiev, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were killed in Russian drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital.
