Ukraine tries to shut Moscow's airports with drone strikes on Russia

Moscow's Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Zhukovsky and Vnukovo airports have repeatedly suspended flights in October. The closures are meant to protect aircraft and passengers when Ukrainian drones or other unidentified objects appear near Moscow. They also show how even relatively small drone operations can disrupt a major urban aviation system.

Russia's aviation authority uses an emergency procedure called the “carpet” protocol. It can shut airspace around an affected airport when weapons are used, an aircraft violates airspace or unidentified objects appear. Analysts say a drone itself may be enough to trigger the protocol, even without explosives.

Agentstvo reported that the four airports closed almost daily during October. On some days, restrictions reportedly lasted up to nine hours. Ukraine has warned airlines and insurers that Russian airspace will become unsafe, while Russia continues trying to detect and stop the drones. Further attacks could bring more cancellations and delays.

The “carpet” protocol is Russia's emergency aviation safety procedure for rapidly closing airspace around a threatened region or airport. Once declared, it imposes drastic restrictions on all air traffic. The purpose is to keep civilian aircraft away from drones, weapons, air-defense operations and other hazards.

Rosaviatsiya can activate the procedure when an aircraft violates Russian airspace, weapons are used or unidentified objects appear in the sky. Oleksandr Laneckij, of Friendly Avia Support, said that essentially every drone poses a military threat. Jan Matvejev said simple drones do not need warheads or long range to trigger the shutdown.

The protocol explains why drone attacks can cause airport closures even when no aircraft is hit. It is designed to reduce immediate danger, but repeated use disrupts flights across Moscow. Analysts say Ukraine may have enough drones to keep forcing these restrictions, while Russia could lower the threshold for declaring them, increasing disruption and safety concerns.

The reported disruption covers four major Moscow airports: Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Zhukovsky and Vnukovo. Agentstvo reported that they had to suspend operations almost daily during October. This matters because repeated closures can affect departures, arrivals, aircraft positioning and connections across a large airport network.

The duration has also been substantial. On some days, the airports were reportedly closed for as long as nine hours. The closures follow Ukrainian drone activity or warnings, while Russia activates its emergency “carpet” protocol to restrict air traffic around threatened areas. A drone need not strike an airport to produce this effect.

The article presents the figures as reported by Agentstvo, an independent investigative media outlet. It does not give a total number of canceled flights or passengers affected. The current pattern suggests continued instability around Moscow airports, especially because analysts believe Ukraine can produce hundreds of long-range combat-ready drones daily.

A drone can disrupt an airport simply by creating uncertainty in the airspace. Authorities cannot safely assume that an unidentified object is harmless, especially during a war. They may suspend arrivals and departures until the object is detected, destroyed or no longer considered an immediate threat.

The article says a collision between an airplane and even a basic drone could have serious consequences. A drone traveling from Ukraine to Moscow would likely be relatively large, weighing dozens of kilograms. Such an object could damage an aircraft, its engines or other critical systems. That risk exists without a warhead.

This is why Ukraine's reported attacks have caused airport closures rather than only physical damage. Russia's “carpet” protocol allows broad airspace restrictions when drones or other threats appear. Analysts say Ukraine's military capabilities exceed those of Yemen's Houthis, who have already significantly disrupted Saudi airspace. Continued drone activity could therefore produce repeated delays and cancellations.

Air defenses protect airports and cities, but their response can endanger civilian aircraft when missiles are used near busy flight paths. A missile may malfunction or veer during mass production, and an aircraft flying nearby could be hit. Closing airspace helps reduce that risk, but it also causes major disruption.

Matvejev distinguished between machine guns and anti-aircraft missiles. Against a low-flying drone, operators may identify the target visually and fire a machine gun, creating very low aircraft risk unless a plane is immediately nearby. Missile use is more dangerous because the weapon travels farther and may not behave as intended.

The article cites the 2024 Christmas Day crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight. Investigators say a Russian air-defense missile, used against drones, struck the plane and killed 38 people. Laneckij warned that lowering the threshold for the “carpet” protocol could increase such risks. Matvejev said little had changed in Russia's defense protocol since that incident.

Repeated drone warnings can make Russian routes harder to operate. Airlines may face airport closures, diversions, long delays and uncertain schedules. Those problems can make travel less attractive and raise operating costs. The article specifically says Ukraine warned airlines and insurers that Russian airspace would become completely unsafe, but it does not provide price forecasts.

In practical terms, airlines could reroute flights, cancel some services or avoid affected airports. Fewer seats and longer routes can push ticket prices upward, while delays and disruption can increase costs for passengers and carriers. Insurers may charge more, narrow coverage or refuse to cover certain war-related risks. These are established aviation-industry responses, not figures reported in this article.

The immediate evidence is already visible: Moscow's four major airports reportedly closed almost daily in October, sometimes for nine hours. The article ends while introducing Laneckij's discussion of international airlines, so it does not state how carriers, fares or insurance policies will change. Further attacks would likely intensify those pressures.

National airspace is the airspace over a country's territory in which its government controls aviation access. Governments regulate it to protect public safety, manage traffic and respond to military threats. Airlines may want to operate, but permission depends on whether the route is considered safe and legally allowed.

In this case, Russia can close airspace around airports when drones, weapons or unidentified objects appear. Its “carpet” protocol then imposes drastic restrictions on all traffic. The decision can stop civilian flights even when no aircraft has been attacked, because authorities must separate passenger planes from possible drones and air-defense operations.

Ukraine has kept its own airspace closed since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. In September, Zelenskyy warned airlines, insurers and airport users that Russian airspace would become unsafe, and Ukraine notified the International Civil Aviation Organization. The repeated Moscow closures show how military threats can override normal commercial flight schedules.