Russian airports faced 993 operational shutdowns in August due to drone attacks, a sharp increase that highlights the growing impact of the conflict on the country’s civil aviation sector.

The number of airport closures in August was more than one-third higher than in July. For comparison, Russian airports were temporarily closed 1,923 times during the whole of 2025, according to tvrain.tv.

Across the three summer months, the number of airport shutdowns reached 2,182, already exceeding the total recorded throughout 2025.

Osprey Flight Solutions also recorded a new high in August, reporting that 16,000 Ukrainian drones entered Russian airspace during the month.

The company counted approximately 11,000 drones in June and 13,000 in July, indicating a significant escalation in drone activity over the summer.

The disruptions have also affected airport infrastructure and aviation services. Following a drone attack on September 4, one of the two aircraft-fuelling operators at Sochi Airport suspended operations after an attack on the Rosneft-Kubannefteprodukt oil depot in Adler.

The developments come after Kyiv called on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ban civilian flights over Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also warned foreign airlines about the risks of flying to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, however, said it had not received notifications from foreign airlines about mass cancellations or changes to flights to Russia.

The agency separately addressed Turkish carrier Pegasus, saying some charter flights had been cancelled for technical reasons, while the airline later requested additional flights that were approved by Russian aviation authorities.