The campaign has forced airports including Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo to repeatedly trigger the "Carpet" emergency protocol, suspending all flights. On October 9, these incursions forced the Il-96 aircraft carrying Vladimir Putin to divert to St. Petersburg after returning from Turkmenistan. That day's disruption shut down regional airports for nearly 7 hours, delaying over 370 flights and canceling more than 100, while Russian military sources identified some threats as MVSh reconnaissance balloons.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Nearly 500 Drones Target Moscow and Disrupt Aviation Traffic
War7 days ago
Ukraine has intensified its use of remotely piloted aircraft to pressure Russian infrastructure in recent weeks. The mayor of Moscow reported that nearly 500 drones headed toward the capital on October 14, forcing hundreds of flight delays. This latest surge follows other raids on October 13 and October 10, where 417 and 403 UAVs respectively were detected flying toward the Moscow region.
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