All four Moscow airports shut down, one declares air raid alert and begins evacuating passengers
All four of Moscow’s airports — Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky — closed to arrivals and departures, Rosaviatsia said.
Sheremetyevo declared an air raid alert and told passengers to head to the nearest safe zones and shelters.
Domodedovo announced that, because of temporary restrictions, “flight schedules are being adjusted.”
Vnukovo also reported the closure, explaining that the measures “were due to security considerations.” Passengers were advised to “be prepared for a lengthy wait,” including on board aircraft.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said over the past several hours that at least 11 drones had been shot down approaching the capital.
Update: Restrictions at all four Moscow airports were lifted several hours later, but the airports closed again by 9 p.m. At around 11 p.m., Vnukovo and Domodedovo resumed handling arriving and departing flights “subject to approval.” The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ posted a photo of drone debris on a runway at Sheremetyevo Airport. Passengers were evacuated, though Russian authorities made no official statement about debris falling there. The air raid alert at the airport was later lifted. An evacuation was also ordered at the IQ Quarter complex in Moscow City during the attack. The tower houses several federal government agencies, including the Economic Development Ministry, the Industry and Trade Ministry, and the Digital Development Ministry.
On September 1, Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines that Russian skies are “becoming unsafe,” saying that “drones will appear in Russian skies in a way that will have to be reckoned with.” He added that Ukraine “doesn’t threaten civil aviation as such,” but that because of Ukrainian drone attacks, “Russian airspace will de facto be closing.” Vladimir Putin called Zelensky’s statement “a declaration of terrorism” and added that “if such tragedies occur, we will find a way to respond.”
Over the past two months, Moscow’s airports have repeatedly closed due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. Dozens of flights have been delayed as a result, and in some cases airports descended into chaos.
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