On the afternoon of 23 October 2026, all four Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo (SVO), Domodedovo (DME), Vnukovo (VKO) and Zhukovsky (ZIA) — halted arrivals and departures after Russian air defences engaged drones approaching the capital.
Rosaviatsiya issued a notice at 14:05 Moscow time (11:05 UTC) citing flight safety; Vnukovo and Domodedovo were limited to operations with explicit clearance from 12:55 and 13:00 respectively and resumed under that regime at 16:43, while Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky remained closed. Emirates flight EK133, operated by an Airbus A380 from Dubai to Domodedovo, was observed by Flightradar24 circling over the Penza region while awaiting clearance.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that air defences had destroyed nine drones by 13:39 and reported further interceptions after the closures, though the claims have not been independently verified.
