Ukrainian drone attack forces Moscow airports to close

• All four of Moscow's main airports suspended civilian flights on Oct. 23 due to a Ukrainian drone raid.
• Seventeen drones were reportedly shot down by Russian authorities.
• Debris allegedly from a downed drone was reported on the tarmac at Sheremetyevo Airport.

Civilian flights at all four of Moscow's main airports were suspended on the afternoon of Oct. 23 amid a Ukrainian drone raid on the Russian capital, local authorities reported. Restrictions on arriving and departing flights at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky airports were announced by Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya at 2:05 p.m. local time. An air alert was sounded at Sheremetyevo, Moscow's largest airport, and waiting passengers were advised to take shelter. Photos later emerged on social media that allegedly showed debris from a downed drone on the tarmac at Sheremetyevo. According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, 17 drones were shot down while heading toward the city on the afternoon of Oct. 23. The all-clear was later sounded at Sheremetyevo Airport, Russian state news agency TASS reported at 5 p.m. local time. Temporary airport closures across Russia have become increasingly common as Ukrainian long-range drones have reached deeper into Russian territory.