Thirteen airports are temporarily closed due to Ukrainian drone strikes on the administrative building of the branch “Aeronavigation of Southern Russia“, the press service of the Ministry of Transport reported.
Airports in Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Gelendzhik, Grozny, Krasnodar, Makhachkala, Magas, Mineralnye Vody, Nalchik, Sochi, Stavropol and Elista are closed.
“The activities of the regional center in Rostov-on-Don, which manages air traffic in southern Russia, have been temporarily adjusted due to Ukrainian drone strikes on the administrative building of the branch “Aeronautics of Southern Russia“, the statement said.
The personnel are safe, and specialists are currently analyzing the functionality of the equipment.
Later, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) reported that more than 80 flights were delayed or canceled at the suspended southern airports, with at least 14,000 passengers awaiting departure. “The most difficult situation is in Sochi, where the new restrictions have aggravated significant disruptions to flight schedules over the past two days,“ the statement said.
In addition, due to the closure of the southern airports, 13 international flights have been canceled or delayed, affecting approximately 3,000 tourists and leading to “mirror” disruptions to flights returning from international airports to Russia, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) added.
On the night of May 8, flight restrictions were introduced at airports in Perm, Sochi, Ufa, Izhevsk, Bugulma, Nizhnekamsk, Kazan, Cheboksary, Samara and Ulyanovsk. In Moscow, Vnukovo Airport suspended operations, while Domodedovo Airport handled arriving and departing flights by prior arrangement.
A nine-year-old boy was injured when debris from a downed drone fell in Yelets, Lipetsk Region, regional governor Igor Artamonov said.
In Perm Krai, drones hit several industrial sites. No casualties were reported.