Moscow airports shut down third time in a week after Ukrainian drone attacks

On the night of October 15, Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia closed all four Moscow airports for arrivals and departures due to Ukrainian drone attacks, marking the third such shutdown in a week. Domodedovo was closed for over 7 hours, Zhukovsky for nearly 6.5 hours, and Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo for about 5.5 hours. Over 200 flights were delayed or canceled by morning. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported 94 drones shot down. Aeroflot diverted flights to alternate airports, including Nizhny Novgorod and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo, which received 25 diverted flights. Previous drone attacks halted Moscow airports on October 9 and 14, causing 785 and nearly 550 flight disruptions respectively. The Atlantic reported that Ukraine's M&Ms operation is intensifying, with plans to deploy AI-controlled drones capable of bypassing air defenses and striking airports directly.