Ukrainian drone strikes force Moscow airports to shut down

Several Russian airports, including the four serving Moscow, were forced to suspend operations overnight due to a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack, officials said early on Thursday.

According to the aviation authority Rosaviatsiya, more than 130 flights in Moscow alone were diverted, delayed or cancelled. The capital's airports – Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky – were out of service for more than seven hours.

Russia's Defence Ministry said nearly 300 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight. More than a third of them were intercepted in the western Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border, with 40 drones each also downed in Kaluga and the Moscow region. The ministry did not provide details on any damage.

In Russia's northern Novgorod region, media reported that a fire broke out. Unconfirmed reports suggested the attack targeted a fertilizer plant that also produces ammonium nitrate, a component used in explosives.

Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia's Investigative Committee, said Ukrainian drone strikes had caused significant damage in 41 regions, amounting to around 600 billion roubles ($7.6 billion) since the war began in February 2022. He said Moscow would seek compensation from Kiev.

Russia continues to launch drones, missiles and cruise missiles against Ukraine, where Kiev estimates the total damage from the invasion in the hundreds of billions of dollars.