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Turkish Airlines flight TK407 turned back to Istanbul after entering Russian airspace and approaching Moscow as Russian air defenses faced a major drone attack on the capital.
Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft operating from Istanbul Airport (IST) to Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport (VKO), departing at 2:22 a.m. local time (GMT+3) and scheduled to arrive at 6:10 a.m. Moscow time.
However, the Airbus A330-300 landed back at Istanbul Airport, with its Vnukovo arrival now expected at 10:30 a.m., according to the airport.
The flight was not the only one affected, with at least 35 Turkish-operated flights to and from Vnukovo delayed or canceled, including six Pegasus flights into Türkiye, two into Russia, eight Turkish Airlines flights into Russia, 16 into Türkiye and three AJet flights bound for Türkiye.
A Pegasus flight from Mugla's Dalaman Airport, which was scheduled to land at Vnukovo at 6:10 a.m., also diverted to Saint Petersburg's Pulkovo International Airport after nearing its destination, with its arrival now expected at 10 a.m.
The disruptions came amid a major overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and other parts of Russia on Sunday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defenses repelled what he described as the capital's most massive drone attack.
More than 1,600 drones were intercepted across Russia since the previous day, including 450 approaching Moscow, he reported. Several drones reached the Moscow Oil Refinery site, while one hit a residential building. Sobyanin said there were no deaths.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned airlines, insurers and foreign governments in early September that Russian airspace was becoming unsafe as Kyiv expanded its drone operations against targets inside Russia.
He said Ukraine was not threatening civilian aircraft but warned that the growing number of drones posed risks to aviation. Ukraine subsequently notified the International Civil Aviation Organization about the risks in Russian airspace.
The attacks also come as Russia holds its three-day parliamentary election from Sept. 18-20, with voters choosing the 450 members of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
The vote is the first State Duma election since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.
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