Why are Moscow airports cancelling flights, and what did Zelensky mean by 'closed skies'?

Over the past few days Russia's civil aviation authority has repeatedly imposed temporary restrictions on take-offs and landings at Moscow airports, and the reason is straightforward: Ukrainian drones. Ukraine has steadily extended the range and volume of its drone strikes deep into Russian territory, and every alert near the capital forces airports to hold aircraft on the ground or divert them.

President Zelensky's 'closed skies' remark was a pointed one. Early in the war, Ukraine begged NATO to impose a no-fly zone over its own cities and was refused. His comment now is essentially: if Russian cities want quiet skies, Russia can stop the war. It plays well at home and it puts the disruption in Moscow squarely in the frame of Russia's own choices.

For travellers, the practical effect is delays and cancellations that appear with little warning. Airlines flying into Moscow have learned to build in slack, and some foreign carriers have simply reduced frequencies.

The bigger picture is that the war, now in its fifth year, is being felt more directly inside Russia than at any earlier point. Airport closures in the capital are a visible symbol of that, which is exactly why Kyiv keeps aiming for them.