Russia says work underway to reopen several airports; safety remains priority

Russia is working to reopen several airports that are closed due to security concerns, but their resumptions will depend on safety conditions, Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said Tuesday.

"We're working on it. I hope there will be positive news soon, but it depends on safety," Nikitin told reporters when asked about reopening.

The Transport Ministry said flight operations remain suspended at airports in Anapa, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don and Simferopol, while services have resumed at the Elista, Gelendzhik and Krasnodar airports.

Some regional media outlets reported earlier that Rostov-on-Don's Platov Airport would reopen Oct. 26, but the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) denied those reports, saying the facility remains closed for security reasons.

The affected airports were initially shut down following restrictions introduced amid regional security risks linked to military operations in neighboring Ukraine.