Arctic Circle Airports Closed After Suspected Ukrainian Drone Attacks

The Russian social media channel SHOT said the Murmansk and Apatity airports were closed on Thursday morning when the Russian authorities instituted their so-called “Carpet Plan” measures after three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV/drones) were detected in the area. On Wednesday another two drones had been spotted on the previous day, all approaching from the Arkhangelsk direction to the southeast.

According to the MASH Telegram channel, citing the regional governor Andrey Chibis, two of the drones had been brought down within seven kilometers (five miles) of the Olenya military airfield. There is currently no information whether any damage was caused or any casualties suffered from either Wednesday’s incursion or what happened to the third UAV on Thursday.

Russian mass media had also reported an increase in reconnaissance flights close to the area by NATO aircraft from Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

The military airfield, which is around 1,800 kilometers (1,125 miles) from Ukraine and close to the Finnish border is the base for a large number of Moscow’s strategic bomber fleet of the airfield. It was attacked by Ukrainian drones on July 27 during which at least two of its Tu-22M3 long-range supersonic bomber-missile carriers were damaged. A second attack was mounted on Aug. 21, possibly involving an A22 Flying Fox UAV, for which no outcome was recorded by either Russian or Ukrainian sources.

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Russia instituted its “Carpet” plan in February 2023 to put bans on aviation activity into place within 200 kilometers (125 miles) of military airfield control points in the event of a threat to its airspace. This can include severe weather conditions or violation of airspace by unauthorized or unidentified aircraft. The plan has been instituted several times as the result of Ukrainian drone attacks around Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh and other cities as far afield as Tatarstan, where drones hit facilities associated with the manufacture of Shahed kamikaze drones in April and May.

Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on these latest alleged drone attacks.