New Delhi: Moscow’s Vnukovo international airport on Sunday was briefly shut after two drones hit buildings in the Russian capital. The airport was “closed for departures and arrivals” and flights were redirected to other airports, news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) reported.
💥 Moscow under attack: A drone can be heard flying into a building resulting in a massive explosion this morning.
'Moscow City' is a very high-end business district just 2.8 miles from the Kremlin. (4.5km) Multiple drone strikes reported. pic.twitter.com/hPduDET75M— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) July 30, 2023
Within a short time span of less than an hour, operations at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport returned to normal, as per state agencies reports.
One drone was shot down on the city’s outskirts, while two others were neutralised using electronic warfare, colliding with an office complex. No injuries were reported in the incident.
These incidents mark a significant change, as the region had been rarely targeted during the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian defence ministry has called the incident an “attempted terrorist attack.”
“The Kyiv regime’s attempted terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles on objects in the city of Moscow was thwarted,” Russia’s defence ministry said on Telegram, as per an AFP report.
Earlier, several drone attacks had caused air traffic congestion at the Vnukovo airport. These attacks on Moscow occurred several weeks after the Ukrainian forces launched a counter-offensive to reclaim territories that had been captured by Russia during the intense hostilities that began in February 2022.