Ukraine hits Russia with drones launched from WEATHER BALLOONS as nearly 1,000 flights are delayed or cancelled across the country

Ukraine's balloon-drone strategy uses kamikaze UAVs lifted to high altitude before being released, enabling them to evade low-level Russian air defences and reach targets closer to central Moscow than conventional drone launches allow. Gridlocked terminals at Sheremetyevo Airport left passengers with nowhere to go, with 84 flights delayed and 45 cancelled. A fire at the airport's TZK fuel and lubricants depot sent a thick column of black smoke rising into the sky, visible from far away.

Vnukovo Airport, used by Russian officials and VIPs, recorded 119 delays and ten cancellations; Pulkovo in St Petersburg suffered 138 disrupted flights.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed 11 drones heading for the capital were shot down, while residents near Nakhabino reported explosions.

Ukraine used the same balloon method on 23 October, shutting all four Moscow airports and disrupting more than 340 flights in a single day.