Kathmandu. Moscow: Three of Moscow’s four airports briefly closed to air traffic on Sunday after Ukraine launched dozens of drones into the Russian capital.

According to Russian media, several flights were delayed at Moscow’s second busiest airport, Vnukovo, and two other airports.

Ukraine, which has endured a wave of Russian drone strikes in the nearly four-year war, did not immediately comment.

A spokesman for Russia’s aviation regulator Rosaviatsiya said the airline would suspend service between 1am and 2am Greenchee time.

“Restrictions are necessary to ensure the safety of flights,” Artem Korenyako said on Telegram.

“Services in Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky were briefly suspended and partially restored a few hours later,” he said.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 27 drones had been shot down en route to the capital on Sunday.

Russia, which launched a full-scale military offensive on its neighbour in 2022, has repeatedly closed its airspace in response to Ukrainian drone attacks.