Planes flying from Uzbekistan failed to land in Moscow following drone attack

17 October 2026, 16:14·60·World

Emergency security measures were introduced in the airspace of the Russian capital, Moscow, following large-scale drone attacks on the city. Due to temporary flight restrictions imposed at Moscow airports (Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky), a total of more than 370 flights were delayed or cancelled.

This unfavorable situation also directly affected passenger planes heading from Uzbekistan to Moscow — two aircraft that were in the air were redirected to other alternate airfields.

To which cities were Uzbekistan's flights redirected?

Due to restrictions in the sky, passengers flying from Uzbekistan failed to reach their destination on time:

Tashkent — Moscow flight: Aeroflot flight SU1871 (Airbus A320-214) from Tashkent (TAS) to Sheremetyevo (SVO) failed to land in Moscow and was urgently redirected to Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg;
Samarkand — Moscow flight: An Ural Airlines plane flying from Samarkand International Airport to the Russian capital changed its route and was forced to land at Koltsovo Airport in Yekaterinburg.

Night attack: 134 drones shot down

According to official data from Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, a very large number of unmanned aerial vehicles heading towards the city at night were neutralized:

Air defense activity: A total of 134 combat drones approaching the city were shot down by Russian air defense (AD) forces;
"Carpet" (Kover) plan: To ensure safety, all civil aviation aircraft in the air were placed in holding areas or diverted to alternate airfields in neighboring regions.

Current situation: Restrictions are being lifted

Following the nighttime tension and inconveniences, airport operations are gradually returning to normal:

Resumption of flights: Starting from the morning, strict restrictions at the capital's airports were lifted in stages, and the process of receiving and dispatching planes is returning to its usual schedule;
- Schedule shifts: Nevertheless, due to hundreds of delayed flights, certain shifts and waiting times in the flight schedule may persist throughout the day.