All four airports serving Moscow stopped accepting and dispatching aircraft on the afternoon of October 23, 2026, as Russian air defenses engaged drones approaching the capital.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced the restrictions at Sheremetyevo (SVO), Domodedovo (DME), Vnukovo (VKO), and Zhukovsky (ZIA) in a notice published at 14:05 Moscow time (11:05 UTC), citing flight safety. The full closure followed on from partial measures: Vnukovo and Domodedovo had been handling flights only with clearance from the relevant authorities since 12:55 and 13:00 Moscow time, respectively, according to earlier agency notices.
At 16:43 Moscow time, Rosaviatsiya said that Vnukovo and Domodedovo had resumed accepting and dispatching flights under that clearance regime, after the restrictions were adjusted. As of that notice, the agency had announced no change at Sheremetyevo or Zhukovsky.
The disruption also affected an Emirates Airbus A380 operating flight EK133 from Dubai to Moscow Domodedovo. Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the double-deck aircraft circling over Russia’s Penza region, southeast of Moscow, while awaiting clearance to continue toward its destination.
BREAKING: A Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow has paralyzed all the capital’s airports. Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports have stopped accepting and dispatching flights. At Sheremetyevo, an air alert was declared, passengers were moved to shelters, and drone debris fell on the runway.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 23, 2026
Air raid alert at Sheremetyevo
Shortly before 15:00 Moscow time, Sheremetyevo’s press service declared an air raid alert and directed passengers to the nearest safe areas and shelters. The airport announced that access to the secure airside areas of all terminals was restricted and that staff had moved passengers into shelters, including those from aircraft parked on the airfield.
In a statement at 15:19 Moscow time, Rosaviatsiya said that additional staff had been deployed at the terminals and airlines were adjusting their schedules. The agency noted that Russia’s federal aviation rules, known as FAP-82, require carriers to provide passengers from delayed flights with refreshments, meals, and, for longer delays, hotel accommodation.
Interceptions reported over the capital
By 13:39 Moscow time, before the full closure, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin had reported that air defenses had destroyed nine drones flying toward the city and that emergency services were working where debris had fallen, according to the city government. He reported further interceptions after the airports were closed. The claims could not be independently verified.
The daytime wave followed an overnight attack in which, according to Sobyanin, 155 drones flew toward the Moscow region, five being downed on approach to the capital.
Second full closure in two days
The shutdown was the second time in two days that Rosaviatsiya had closed all four airports. Its notices show restrictions at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky from 00:38 Moscow time on October 22, 2026, extended to Sheremetyevo at 02:44, and then lifted at all four at 05:19.
The four airports also faced overnight restrictions from October 15 to October 16, 2026. The disruptions follow a September 1, 2026, statement in which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned airlines that Russian airspace was becoming unsafe.