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Ukrainian drone alerts triggered 993 Russian airport closures

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 5:02 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Ukrainian drone operations forced 993 temporary closures at Russian airports in August 2026.
The “Kover” protocol grounds or redirects civilian flights whenever a drone is detected.
Closures affected 32 airports averaging 32 shutdowns per day.
Foreign carriers Pegasus, Flydubai and Air India altered routes or suspended service to Russia.
Moscow-St Petersburg passenger traffic fell 20-23% while rail demand rose about 20%.

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Story summary

Ukrainian drone operations forced 993 temporary closures at Russian airports in August 2026.
The “Kover” protocol grounds or redirects civilian flights whenever a drone is detected.
Closures affected 32 airports averaging 32 shutdowns per day.
Foreign carriers Pegasus, Flydubai and Air India altered routes or suspended service to Russia.
Moscow-St Petersburg passenger traffic fell 20-23% while rail demand rose about 20%.