Vnukovo airport’s operations were shut down following the interception of three found to be moving in the direction of Moscow. Several flights were restricted and diverted. (File: AP)
The operations of Moscow’s Vnukovo airport were temporarily shut after three drones were intercepted to be moving towards Moscow. All of the drones were taken down and no casualties/damages were reported, stated Russian news agencies.
Moscow’s Vnukovo airport was shut down after at least three drones were intercepted to be moving towards Moscow, early on Tuesday, Russian news agencies quoted emergency services.
According to a repot by Russian news agency, TASS, two drones were taken down in the outskirts of Moscow, while another one was found in the nearing region of Kaluga. The first two drones were gunned down near Valuyevo village, which is located 30 km southwest of Kremlin, a Hindustan Times report quoted RIA news agency.
The report added that a fourth drone was intercepted and taken down in the town of Kubinka, which is home to a Russian air base and is situated about 40 km from Vnukovo.
AFP reported that the Russian military said it had taken down five drones. Adding that there were no casualties or damages. It added that four drones were shot down by anti-air defence systems while a fifth was neutralised by “electronic means” before it crashed.
In response to the drones intercepted, AFP quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Telegram as, “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.”
Several flights scheduled for landings and takeoffs from the Vnukovo airport were restricted after the drones interception. This was stated to be the consequence of “technical reasons beyond the control of the airport,” news agency Reuters quoted Russia’s federal air transport agency.
Multiple flights were redirected to other functioning airports and the traffic at Vnukovo airport picked back up at 05:00 GMT, as per AFP report.
A similar incident was also reported by TASS in April of 2023, wherein the airspace of Vnukovo airport was shut for safety purposes.
