Flight network in southern Russia being reshaped after UAV attack
Following a UAV attack on the air traffic control centre in Rostov-on-Don, 13 airports in southern Russia were shut down. Many hubs, including Sochi, Krasnodar, and Volgograd, were affected, while approximately 14,000 passengers experienced flight disruptions. Airspace is being reorganised.
Russia’s Ministry of Transport announced that 13 airports in the south of the country had suspended operations after unmanned aerial vehicles struck the air navigation administrative building in Rostov-on-Don on the night of 8 May.
In a statement, the ministry said: “The operations of the Rostov-on-Don regional centre managing air traffic in southern Russia have been temporarily adjusted due to Ukrainian UAVs striking the administrative building of the ‘South Russia Air Navigation’ branch.”
Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles attacked Rostov-on-Don on the night of 8 May. However, the Kyiv administration did not confirm that one of the targets was the air navigation building, and there has not yet been any independent verification that the building was damaged.
Operations were suspended at the airports of Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Gelendzhik, Grozny, Krasnodar, Makhachkala, Magas, Mineralnye Vody, Nalchik, Sochi, Stavropol, and Elista.
The ministry also stated that “air traffic management technologies and flight schedules are being reorganised.”
According to TASS, citing the Russian Tour Operators Association, more than 80 flights at southern airports were delayed or cancelled, while at least 14,000 passengers were waiting for departure. According to data from the Mash channel, 184 flights were delayed and 26 flights were cancelled.
In a later statement, Russia’s Ministry of Transport said that “a decision regarding the date for resuming flights to southern Russia at a reduced frequency will be made soon.” Airlines were also instructed to deploy trains and buses to transport passengers from cancelled flights.
The public channel “EJ”, citing a NOTAM (“Notice to Airmen”) announcement, reported that “the airspace over southern Russia will be closed to civilian flights until 23:59 on 11 May.” However, according to Flightradar data, some aircraft were still present in the region at midday on 8 May, including an Aeroflot aircraft travelling from Kazan to Sharm El Sheikh and another flying from Yerevan to Moscow.
Flights at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport were also temporarily suspended. More than 50 flights were delayed or cancelled. According to the “Ostorozhno, Novosti” channel, some aircraft have been unable to depart for more than a day.
Various regions of Russia, including the Rostov region, were subjected to intense attacks by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles on the night of 8 May. In addition to the Rostov region, the Yaroslavl region, Perm Krai, Chechnya, annexed Crimea, and border regions were also targeted. Ukrainian authorities stated that they were “responding in kind” to Russia’s actions and claimed that the Russian military had failed to comply with its self-declared ceasefire on the front line.
