Ukrainian drones paralyze Moscow airspace for three days in row

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - MOSCOW — A slew of flight delays and diversions at Moscow airports affected thousands of travelers yet again on Wednesday following another Ukrainian drone attack.

Days before the Victory Day parade in the Russian capital — one of the largest public holidays and the most important events for President Vladimir Putin — chaos in Moscow's airspace persisted for the third day in a row.

According to the Association of Russia’s Tour Operators, some airports have been closed, while around 350 flights have been reportedly affected.

At least 60,000 passengers have experienced disruption, with many of them left stuck on board planes for several hours.

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency also warned of flight delays across central Russia "due to the late arrival of aircraft at the initial airports of destination."

For a third consecutive day, Russian authorities report downing Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow, disrupting aviation in the region.

Russian outlets claim that a Ukrainian drone attack caused a "collapse" at airports in the Moscow region, forcing airlines to delay departures or divert planes elsewhere.

Among those affected is Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić. His plane was reportedly forced to divert to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku because of the threats in Russian airspace.

According to Serbian state news agency Tanjug, his flight to Moscow to attend the parade was disrupted by what the agency calls "active hostilities between Russia and Ukraine".

Brussels issued a stark warning to the Serbian leader a few days ago, indicating that Vučić's visit would violate EU membership criteria and potentially hurt Serbia's accession process to the 27-member bloc.

Earlier, Serbian newspaper Novosti reported that Lithuania and Latvia have denied a flight with Vučić on board from crossing their airspace en route to Moscow for the Victory Day parade on Friday, citing "political (...) technical and diplomatic sensitivity".

The same outlet also reported that Poland and Lithuania had denied flyover rights to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, raising similar concerns. His attendance remains uncertain at this point.

Estonia also said it would not allow the aircraft carrying leaders heading to the Victory Day parade in Moscow to pass through its airspace.

"Estonia does not intend to support the event in any way," Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said.

"We have stressed to our European Union colleagues that as Russia is a country that launched and continues a war in Europe, participation in propaganda events organised by them should be ruled out."

In an effort to protect and secure the parade, Putin announced a unilateral ‘truce’ from Thursday to midnight on Sunday.

The Kremlin announced the measure on 28 April, claiming all military actions would halt during that period and urging Ukraine to "follow this example."

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the proposal as a "theatrical performance" designed to reduce Russia's international isolation and secure favourable conditions for Moscow's Victory Day events on Friday.

He also said that Ukraine could not guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend Victory Day events in Russia.

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia’s unilateral ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations remains in place and will run from midnight to midnight from 8 to 11 May.

Overnight on Wednesday, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv, killing two people and injuring eight others, including four children, officials reported. — Euronews