Putin's plane is left circling Moscow as Ukrainian drone blitz shuts all four capital airports for seven hours

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026.

Four aircraft from Russia's presidential Special Flight Squadron were forced to hold in the air over Moscow on Friday after Ukraine's drone strikes shut every one of the capital's airports. Vladimir Putin had been flying back from summits in Turkmenistan when restrictions grounded Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky simultaneously. Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed Russian air defences shot down 15 drones, while residents reported hearing explosions across the city.

More than 370 flights were delayed and a further 62 cancelled, with passengers pictured queuing on departure-lounge floors for up to seven hours.

Some aircraft from Putin's fleet were diverted to St Petersburg, while civilian flights were rerouted to Kazan and other cities outside the Moscow hub.

Ukraine's minister for community development has written to the International Civil Aviation Organization urging a complete ban on civilian flights over Russia.