All four major airports in Moscow, Russia, were temporarily shut down between Thursday and Friday morning after a large-scale overnight drone attack triggered the cancellation of more than 400 flights.
The disruption came shortly after President William Ruto and other African leaders attended the Russia-Africa Summit hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Reports by Russian media outlets indicated that the airports operated under restrictions for nearly nine hours before authorities began easing the measures on Friday morning.
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency lifted restrictions at Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports at approximately 8am, while Vnukovo and Domodedovo remained operational under special clearance procedures.
Sheremetyevo recorded the highest number of cancelled flights at 170, followed by Vnukovo with 48, Domodedovo with four and Zhukovsky with one. Vnukovo also reported 111 delayed flights.
The disruption forced several aircraft bound for Moscow to divert to other airports. St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport reportedly received 27 diverted flights, leaving passengers facing prolonged waiting periods.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that 862 drones had been launched towards the Moscow region between Thursday evening and Friday morning, with Russian air defence systems intercepting many before they could reach the capital.
President Ruto arrived in Russia on Tuesday, October 27, accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and other senior government officials.
He attended the Third Russia-Africa Summit, which took place in Moscow between October 28 and 29, bringing together African leaders and Russian officials to explore opportunities in trade, investment and economic cooperation.
Representatives from 48 of Africa's 54 countries participated in the meeting, with 22 nations sending their heads of state. Ruto used the summit to pursue stronger economic relations between Kenya and Russia.
The airport closures occurred against the backdrop of Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine, which has seen Ukrainian forces repeatedly target Russian infrastructure using drones.
Despite the scale of the latest attack and the resulting disruption to air travel, there were no immediate indications by Friday afternoon that the incident had specifically targeted or disrupted the visiting African delegations.
