'Ukrainian drones' trap Putin's planes in the sky and force Moscow's four airports to shut

From the Newshound archive · first published 9 October 2026 · last updated 10 October 2026.

Friday's Ukrainian drone assault on Moscow forced the city's four airports to close for as long as seven hours, with four Russian presidential aircraft left holding in the air while Vladimir Putin made his way home from a summit in Turkmenistan. Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that 15 drones had been brought down, while residents across the city reported hearing explosions. According to flight tracking data, Putin's Special Flight Squadron aircraft made at least three failed approaches before at least one was diverted to St Petersburg. More than 370 flights were delayed and 62 cancelled.

Putin had been attending the Caspian summit before the attack, where he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, and the airport closures began while he was still in transit.

The shutdowns were triggered by Ukrainian drones and 'small balloons' — the latest in a succession of strikes reaching deep inside Russian territory.