As I suspected, the AFU continued UAV attacks deep into Russian territory, an important goal of which was to stop the operation of airports. During May 21-22, more than 500 drones were shot down over Russia (82 over the Moscow region). Zhukovsky, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo temporarily stopped receiving and sending airliners about 20 times. Dozens of flights were delayed.
This is real damage to the economy and pressure on Russian citizens. Because of strict security protocols, the administration closes airports even if UAVs have not flown directly into their territory. Ideally, by this design, airliners should be chained to the ground, and citizens will stop buying airline tickets due to unpredictable disruptions in air harbors.
Additional damage to consumers of all types is caused by the shutdown of mobile communications while Ukrainian drone attacks are repelled. Since space communications via Starlink terminals over Russian territory are disabled (except for offshore coastal areas), aircraft-type UAVs that break through Russian air defenses are targeted by commercial inertial navigation systems that have low accuracy. Therefore, on the final leg of the route, the drones are controlled by the operator via mobile Internet networks (Russian SIM cards are installed in them).
Now by default there is a mutual ban on bombing of Russian and Ukrainian energy facilities. But strikes on targets outside this category in Ukraine are carried out almost daily and by large outfits of Geraniums. Under these conditions, airports are the obvious and most favorable target for Ukrainian UAVs. The AFU doesn’t even need to hit anywhere in particular, the administration itself closes them down simply when drones are detected in dangerous proximity.
In the future, we should expect either the lifting of the ban on energy strikes, or the singling out of a group of targets in Ukraine whose damage would cause comparable damage. These cannot be airports, they have been closed in Ukraine since the beginning of the SWO.
This situation shows how modern warfare impacts everyday life far beyond the battlefield 🛩️🚁✈️. Airport shutdowns and communication disruptions not only affect travelers but also put economic pressure on entire regions. It’s a reminder of how vulnerable infrastructure can be in conflicts like this.