Chronology of the Attack
On the evening of November 2, 2026, unmanned aerial vehicles were directed toward Moscow and the Moscow region, according to Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. Over the course of several hours, the Russian air defense system officially destroyed 46 drones. The capital's mayor published updates on the interception of the devices four times during the evening, noting each time that emergency services were operating at the crash sites. Sobyanin provided no details regarding destruction or casualties.
Paralysis of Air Traffic
In response to the threat, restrictions on incoming and outgoing flights were introduced across all four metropolitan airports: Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky. According to Rosaviatsiya, the restrictions were in effect from 10:52 PM and lasted for nearly nine hours, being lifted for Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky only around 6:46 AM; however, flight delays persisted well into the evening. Some aircraft unable to land in Moscow were diverted to alternate airfields, including Pulkovo in St. Petersburg.
Scale of Disruptions
The resulting paralysis of the Moscow aviation hub resulted in, by some estimates, at least 223 canceled and 233 delayed flights—marking one of the largest aviation disruptions in Russia since early October. Various publications cite somewhat differing figures: according to Baza, 149 flights were delayed and five canceled at Sheremetyevo, delays affected 137 departures at Vnukovo, 42 at Domodedovo, while Pulkovo accepted 16 aircraft as an alternate airfield. Channel 24 estimates the number of canceled or delayed flights at Moscow airports to be over 370.
Context: Not the First Raid of the Week
The November 2 attack followed a series of incidents. On the evening of October 29, a massive drone raid disrupted over 460 flights at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 1,214 drones were allegedly shot down overnight and morning across 18 regions—which Bloomberg estimates is the highest daily interception figure since the start of the full-scale war, surpassing the previous record of 1,110 devices recorded on September 20. Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo suffered the most.
Political Background
The massive aviation disruption occurred against a tense backdrop surrounding the Russian capital and immediately following the Russia-Africa summit hosted by Vladimir Putin. Recurring drone attacks and the resulting multi-hour airport closures continue to exert pressure on regular passenger air travel and logistics in one of the country's primary transportation hubs.
