Moscow’s airports shut for hours as Ukrainian drones target the Russian capital
Ukrainian long-range drones forced all four Moscow airports to suspend flights overnight on 22 June, capping a rough day for the Russian capital, according to local media reports. The night before, hackers seized Mayor Sergei Sobyanin's personal Telegram channel and filled it with pro-Ukraine messages. At the time of the reporting, no damage to Moscow city was confirmed.
Four airports went dark over Moscow
The raid pushed Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky to halt flights, aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia confirmed. Authorities lifted the restrictions by morning. Sobyanin claimed air defenses downed dozens of drones near the capital. He posted 11 updates in just over an hour, BBC Russian noted. By Monday morning, his tally climbed to as many as 70, with the last intercept logged at 05:07 Moscow time. Residents filmed drones overhead and explosions across Moscow and its oblast. Sobyanin claimed no casualties, citing only "specialists" working where debris fell.
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A hacked channel on the mayor's birthday
The drones followed an embarrassment of a different kind. On 21 June — Sobyanin's 68th birthday — his second, official Telegram channel, "Sergei Sobyanin. Personal Blog," was hacked, Radio Svoboda reported. For about half an hour, dozens of identical posts read "Moscow will burn" and "Glory to Ukraine." The feed also carried a fundraiser for Ukraine's army. One post claimed Sobyanin had funded Ukrainian drones and now lived in London. The messages then vanished.
Moscow outlet Msk1.ru suggested fraudsters were behind them. The breached account is verified through Sobyanin's own website. It usually posts only links to his press releases, unlike his main "Mayor of Moscow" city channel, used mostly for informing the locals about the current situation.
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Days after the refinery burned
The attack extended a campaign that already reaches deep into Russia. Ukrainian forces struck the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya on 16 June. They hit it again on 18 June, and the fire blackened the sky over residential districts. Russian daily Kommersant counted more than 170 canceled flights. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strikes a "just response" to Russian attacks. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov threatened fresh massive strikes. Since February 2022, Russian forces have bombarded Ukrainian cities; the UN counted at least 70 civilians killed since early May 2026.
