Sky closed over Moscow multiple nights in row as Ukraine resumes refinery strikes

Flights over the city of Moscow were restricted for the sixth night in a row on Oct. 16-17, according to flight-tracking data and updates from Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya).

The latest restrictions coincide with President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement on Oct. 15 that Ukraine would no longer hold back from attacking Russian oil refineries. That same night, flights were grounded in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Rosaviatsiya announced late in the evening of Oct. 16 that three of Moscow's four major airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovksy — were suspending operations due to security risks.

"Temporary restrictions have been introduced on the arrival and departure of aircraft," the agency said. "These restrictions are necessary to ensure flight safety."

Earlier in the day, Russia's Transportation Ministry said that civil aviation operations in Moscow Oblast had been placed under "special monitoring" by the ministry and Rosaviatsiya. The previous evening, Rosaviatsiya announced that flights were grounded at all four of Moscow's airports as well as at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg.

While the agency did not at first announce restrictions at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport the night of Oct. 16-17, independent flight-tracking data indicated that the facility was also experiencing disruptions and delays.

According to aviation monitor Flightradar24, Sheremetyevo Airport is currently the fifth-most disrupted airport in the world and is experiencing "major problems."

Rosaviatsiya then announced temporary restrictions at Sheremetyevo Airport at around 2 a.m. local time.

Meanwhile, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that nearly 30 drones bound for the capital have been intercepted as of 1:30 a.m. local time on Oct. 17.

The latest closure marks the sixth consecutive night that restrictions have been imposed on air travel over Moscow, leading to long passenger queues and hundreds of flight delays. Russia's Transportation Ministry said it was deploying additional staff to the capital's airports in response to the situation.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that Ukraine fired nearly 500 drones at the region overnight on Oct. 13-15, all of which he said were intercepted by Russian air defense units. The following night, he claimed nearly 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow.

Ukraine had refrained from strikes on Russia's refineries for three days to accommodate demands from U.S. President Donald Trump, who unilaterally announced an energy ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow.

Trump has claimed that Ukraine's refinery strikes are driving up oil and diesel prices worldwide, despite evidence that the U.S. war in Iran is in fact the primary culprit.

While Zelensky attempted to accommodate Trump — who threatened to withhold intelligence from Ukraine and struck a deal with Russian President Donald Trump to buy diesel from Moscow — Russia hammered Ukrainian cities and energy infastructure in large-scale attacks.

On Oct. 15, Zelensky said Ukraine's refinery attack pause was over.

"We're done," he said.