Russian airports halt operations over UAV attack threat
Photo: Russian airports are not accepting flights due to the risk of drone attacks (flickr.com)
Three airports in Russia have imposed restrictions on the arrival and departure of civilian aircraft due to the threat of strike drone attacks, according to Russian media.
The Carpet plan has been implemented at the Stupino airport in Nizhny Novgorod. Temporary restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft have been in effect since 04:40 Moscow time (03:40 Kyiv time).
Restrictions have also been introduced at the Volgograd Gumrak airport. The airfield has not been accepting or dispatching flights since 00:32 Moscow time (23:32 Kyiv time).
Additionally, at 06:55 Moscow time (05:55 Kyiv time), the Carpet plan was introduced at the Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg due to a drone in the Leningrad region.
At 08:15 Moscow time (07:15 Kyiv time), the restrictions at Pulkovo airport were lifted.
According to the Ministry of Defense, during the past night, air defense systems over Russian territory intercepted and destroyed 35 unmanned aerial vehicles:
- 18 UAVs over Kursk region;
- Four UAVs each over Oryol region and Krasnodar Krai;
- Three UAVs each over Voronezh and Rostov regions;
- One UAV each over Bryansk, Tula regions, and the temporarily occupied Crimea.
Drone attacks on Russia
In recent months, certain regions of Russia have been attacked almost nightly by strike drones. The targets of these drones include military facilities, airfields, as well as oil refineries and oil depots.
On the night of February 8, strike UAVs attacked four Russian regions. In two of them, the targets were oil refining facilities.
On the night of February 6, drones attacked Rostov region and Krasnodar Krai. In Primorsko-Akhtarsk, UAVs hit an airfield from which aggressors launch "Shahed" drones towards Ukraine.
On the night of February 5, an oil depot in Krasnodar Krai caught fire due to a drone attack.
