In the morning, flight operations at seven Russian airports were suspended for several hours due to security concerns. The Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia announced that neither take-offs nor landings were permitted at the airports in Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Grozny, Kaluga, Saratov and Ulyanovsk. This measure was lifted after just under two hours.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the reason for the temporary closure was a drone attack. According to the ministry, 40 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed during the night, affecting the regions of Volgograd, Kaluga, Rostov and Saratov. In particular, in the Kaluga region, a crashed drone caused a fire in an industrial plant, while in Volgograd one person was injured and debris damaged a residential building and a car.
Such incidents are not unusual in the context of the Ukraine conflict. Air traffic in Russia is often restricted when drone attacks take place. Ukraine has been waging a defensive war against the Russian invasion for almost three years and has repeatedly attacked targets on Russian territory.