Vladimir Shevchuk, his wife and their two children arrived at Sheremetyevo airport last Monday, suitcases packed for a summer holiday in Antalya, Turkey. Instead, they spent the day and night on the airport's concrete floor after all flights were suspended. The family's flight was eventually rescheduled for later in the week. “We saved up for this trip for a year,” Shevchuk said. “Our hotel and car rental can't be reimbursed, and we simply can't reschedule.”
Tens of thousands of Muscovites have seen their travel plans thrown into chaos in recent weeks as Ukrainian drones repeatedly disrupt airspace over the Russian capital. What began as isolated interruptions has evolved into a systematic campaign aimed at bringing the war home to ordinary Russians, many of whom have otherwise experienced it only on television. On Monday, dozens of Aeroflot flights were also cancelled after a cyberattack claimed by a pro-Ukrainian group, Silent Crow.
The disruption has a mounting economic cost for Russia's aviation industry, already strained by Western sanctions. According to Russia's federal air transport agency, airlines cancelled 485 flights and delayed around 1,900 more between 6 and 7 July, forcing more than 43,000 ticket refunds and placing 94,000 passengers in hotels. Over 350,000 food and drink vouchers were handed out. “It's not just a headache. The drones completely disrupt our operations,” said a senior manager at one of Moscow's main airports. “We can't go on like this forever.”
The chaos appears to have caught the Kremlin's attention. Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin dismissed the transport minister without explanation. In December, 38 people were killed when Russian air defences mistakenly shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet in Kazakhstan during an attempt to intercept a Ukrainian drone targeting Grozny airport, triggering a diplomatic rift with Azerbaijan. Sheremetyevo, Russia's busiest airport, has begun preparing for prolonged disruption, with staff filmed handing out mattresses to stranded passengers.
