Moscow - In response to drone attacks on Pskov Airport on Wednesday, Russia has taken the step of closing the airspace at Vnukovo airport. Additionally, flights to and from Pskov Airport have been canceled for the day to evaluate the condition of the runway. Region Governor Mikhail Vedernikov conveyed this information via a social media platform, as reported by the state news agency TASS.

Russia's Defense Ministry has accused Ukraine of conducting drone attacks in the early hours of Wednesday, targeting five Russian regions. This incident appears to be the most significant drone attack on Russian territory in a year and a half. The Defense Ministry stated that drones were also intercepted over the regions of Oryol, Bryansk, Ryazan, Kaluga, and the Moscow surrounding area.

Governor Vedernikov explained that the flight cancellations were necessary to assess potential damage to the runway. There were concerns about the condition of the runway due to the severity of the attack. Reports from unconfirmed Russian media sources suggested that four Ilyushin 76 transport planes might have been damaged at the airport. The governor posted on Telegram, stating that the defense ministry's forces were repelling the drone attack and more information would be provided after a crisis center meeting, which he would personally oversee.

It's noteworthy that Pskov, while situated around 600km away from the border region with Ukraine, shares a close boundary with Estonia.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported in this incident. Governor Vedernikov mentioned that a decision was made to suspend all flights for the day until a thorough assessment of potential runway damage could be conducted. While preliminary assessments indicated minor damage, the governor noted that it was challenging to confirm the extent of the damage during the nighttime. Vedernikov added that if the situation permits, the airport would resume normal operations on Thursday.

A similar occurrence took place on August 21, where all four major Moscow airports were temporarily closed by the civil aviation authority due to an alleged drone strike on the capital city. This marked the third instance in the past month that this particular district of Moscow had experienced drone-related incidents.