Flight Operations Disrupted at Pulkovo International Airport Due to Drone Incident

Flight operations at Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg faced significant disruptions on Saturday morning as a result of a drone incident. The airport, situated more than 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, suspended all arrivals and departures for over two hours, according to the press secretary of Rosaviatsia, Artyom Korenyako, who communicated via the Telegram messaging platform.

The suspension of air traffic occurred between 7:45 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. Moscow time. During this period, twenty flights scheduled to land at Pulkovo were rerouted to alternative airports. Fortunately, no injuries or material damages were reported in connection with this incident.

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry disclosed that military forces successfully intercepted and destroyed a total of 16 drones across several regions, including Leningrad, Bryansk, Smolensk, Belgorod, and Pskov, overnight. The Governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenk, confirmed that a record number of four drones were neutralized in his jurisdiction.

While drone attacks have frequently targeted regions in Russia bordering Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale invasion nearly three years ago, St. Petersburg has largely escaped such incidents until recently. The city recorded its first drone attack in January 2024, prompting local authorities to enhance security measures throughout the urban area.

In March 2024, following a drone crash that resulted in an explosion at an apartment building, city officials announced the implementation of stricter security protocols to safeguard residents and infrastructure.