The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Russia closes all 4 Moscow airports for unspecified 'safety' concerns

by Abbey Fenbert December 26, 2024 7:18 PM 1 min read
Moscow's Domodedovo airport, Sept. 2022. (Photo by Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia temporarily suspended flights at all four airports operating in Moscow on Dec. 26, citing safety concerns, the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced.

A fifth airport in Kaluga was also closed.

"To ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights, temporary restrictions have been introduced on the operation of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Kaluga airports," Rosaviatsiya said on Dec. 26.

The agency did not specify the cause of the security concerns.

All airports were reopened after temporary closure.

Moscow has previously shut down its airports amid drone strikes over the region. Ukraine launched its largest drone attack against Moscow in November 2024.

The latest announcement comes as Russian air defense operations are under scrutiny due to the crash of an Azerbaijani Airlines plane in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25. The crash was reportedly caused by a Russian air defense missile, according to a preliminary investigation.

The missile allegedly targeted Flight 8432 during drone activity over Grozny.

Azerbaijani government sources claim Russian missile caused plane crash over Kazakhstan, Euronews reports
A Russian surface-to-air missile caused the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines flight near Aktau, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijani government sources reportedly confirmed on Dec. 26. The missile was fired from a Pantsir-S air defense system.

News Feed

5:15 PM

Alexander Vindman: Trump repeats past US mistakes with Russia.

Alexander Vindman served as the director of European affairs for the United States National Security Council in 2018-2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump's first administration. The Kyiv Independent's Kate Tsurkan sits down with Vindman to discuss how Washington has historically misjudged Russia, "succumbing to hopes and fears," and why there is no real prospect of peace between Ukraine and Russia now.
12:24 PM

Ukraine receives $400 million tranche from IMF.

The funds represent the latest tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, which will provide Kyiv with $15.6 billion in budget support over four years. With the additional $400 million in funding, the program has now distributed $10.1 billion in financing to Ukraine.
8:59 AM

Shooter opens fire on police in Russia's Murmansk.

The man began shooting from the roof of a building at Kolskiy Avenue 10 in the central part of the city, after which the authorities stormed the roof and "neutralized" the attacker, the regional Investigative Committee said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.