Drone downed near Moscow, central Russia airports affected

Noctilucent clouds are seen over the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 4 July, 2023.
Reuters

Russian air defences intercepted a drone near Moscow on Saturday, prompting multiple airport closures and flight delays across central Russia.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported on Telegram that specialists are examining fragments after a drone was shot down near the capital.

Due to airspace safety concerns, several airports in central Russia, including Izhevsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Samara, Penza, Tambov, and Ulyanovsk temporarily suspended operations, according to Rosaviatsia.

In St. Petersburg, dozens of flights were delayed. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that air defence units destroyed 32 drones over a three-hour period across central regions.

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