Ukrainian Drone Attacks Force Closure of All Moscow Airports

All international airports in Moscow, Russia’s capital, were forced to temporarily close on Sunday (22 February) local time. The closures were implemented following a barrage of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia, with several drones successfully shot down.

The temporary closures, as reported by Press Trust of India and NDTV on Monday (23 February 2026), applied to four international airports in Moscow from Sunday afternoon local time until further notice.

Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, stated that air traffic restrictions had been imposed at four international airports in Moscow: Domodedovo Airport, Vnukovo Airport, Zhukovsky Airport, and Sheremetyevo Airport.

The air traffic restrictions were imposed on security grounds, with no further details provided.

However, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, in a separate statement, reported that at least 11 Ukrainian drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), had been shot down within one hour on Sunday local time.

“Air defences have intercepted further UAVs heading towards Moscow,” Sobyanin said in a statement via his Max channel.

“As a result, the total number of drones shot down has reached 11 units,” he added.

As the war against Ukraine enters its fourth year, Russia claims that waves of Kyiv’s drones regularly strike various regions across its territory, including the capital Moscow.

Russia itself also targets Ukrainian territory with waves of missile and drone attacks.