Moscow shoots down nearly 60 drones, airports reopen, authorities say

June 22 (Reuters) – The Russian capital of Moscow shot down dozens of drones in the early hours of Monday and briefly suspended flights at airports, local authorities said, just days after Ukraine hit the city’s oil refinery again. 

Nearly 60 drones heading for Moscow were downed, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. Sobyanin did not provide further details, adding that emergency services had been dispatched to areas where drones were downed.  

The airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy near the capital, had suspended flights, although those were later resumed, the aviation watchdog said separately. 

The attack comes after drones again hit Moscow’s sole oil refinery last week. In that offensive, Moscow’s defence systems shot down nearly 200 drones in one of the biggest air attacks on the city since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 

The city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea cancelled all open-air public events on Monday and will keep street lights switched off, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city governor, said on Telegram as he called on people to curb electricity usage.

Crimea, a popular tourist destination for Russians, has suspended fuel sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security, as Ukraine’s drone attacks on its supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere led to a fuel crisis.

(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by David Dolan)