Russian defence ministry’s flight schedules “drone-ed” due to Ukraine attack

The Russian defence ministry announced that it faced a drone attack originating from Ukraine, causing a temporary disruption in flight schedules at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. The attack took place yesterday, involving about five drones and extended to surrounding territories as well.

The defence authorities have clarified that all involved drones were shot down successfully, causing no harm to civilians or resulting in any damage. Thus far, Ukraine is yet to claim responsibility for the alleged attack.

Post the incident, the restrictions imposed at the Vnukovo Airport were lifted, allowing a return to normal operation. Flights from various international locations like Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were some of those impacted due to this incident.

Four of the drones, which were flying within the Moscow region, were taken down by air defence systems. A fifth drone was rendered inoperative electronically before it could pose any threat.

In a statement made by Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the foreign ministry, the intentions of the Kyiv regime were made clear. She said…

“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to attack a zone where civil infrastructure is located, including an airport that receives international flights, is a new terrorist act.”

As per the reports of Russian state media, one of the downed drones crashed in the town of Kubinka, approximately 36 kilometres from Vnukovo Airport, situated in the southwest of the city. An additional drone was reportedly neutralised near the village of Valuevo, located close to the airport as well. The accuracy of this information is currently under validation by the BBC.

Previous instances show that this is not the first time Moscow has been threatened by drone attacks. In May earlier this year, the defence ministry reported at least eight drones causing minor damage.

This was seen as the first significant multi-drone attack since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, occurring shortly after Moscow blamed Kyiv for a drone attack on the Kremlin. Ukraine has, however, denied responsibility for both incidents.

Notably, this drone strike comes against the backdrop of Ukraine launching its counter-offensive against Russia, which has yet to gain the expected momentum. The Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelensky, acknowledged this slow progress.

Simultaneously, the death toll from a previous Russian drone attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy rose to three, according to the city’s mayor. Several more people were reportedly injured in the attack.