Russia shuts 13 airports as drone attack disrupts southern regions
Photo: Drone strike paralyzes air traffic in southern Russia (Russian media)
Thirteen airports in southern Russia suspended operations after a drone reportedly struck an air navigation service building in Rostov-on-Don, according to the Russian Transport Ministry.
Russian officials claim the strike targeted the administrative building of the Air Navigation of the Southern Russia branch. More than 80 flights were delayed or canceled, leaving at least 14,000 passengers stranded in airport terminals.
Airports affected
Russian authorities say flights were suspended in the following cities:
- Sochi
- Volgograd
- Krasnodar
- Grozny
- Astrakhan
- Vladikavkaz
- Gelendzhik
- Makhachkala
- Magas
- Mineralnye Vody
- Nalchik
- Stavropol
- Elista
Photo: Air traffic over southern Russia disrupted (Flightradar screenshot)
The Russian Transport Ministry said airlines had been instructed to use trains and buses to transport stranded passengers. Officials promised to announce a timeline for restoring flights in the near future.
As previously reported, drones attacked several Russian cities overnight on May 8. A major fire broke out at the Yaroslavnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Yaroslavl, while another industrial facility caught fire in Rostov-on-Don.
Drones were also detected over Moscow, with Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claiming they had been shot down.
Updated: The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency said the airports will remain closed until May 12, though the restrictions could be revised earlier.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian infrastructure in response to continued attacks on Ukrainian territory. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would respond to Russia’s actions "symmetrically" and "day by day."
According to the President, Moscow continued attacking Ukrainian positions despite its own declared ceasefire for May 8–10. By 7:00 a.m. on May 8 alone, Ukraine had recorded more than 140 attacks and over 850 drone strikes.
