Drone incursions prompt airport shutdowns in Russia
A large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine triggered an air alert across the country on Tuesday morning. However, it wasn't just a difficult morning for Ukrainians; Russians also encountered issues. A drone attack led to the implementation of the "Carpet" plan at several airports in Russia.
What is the "Carpet" plan? It involves suspending air operations at the airport when "potentially dangerous objects" are observed in the sky. The plan requires all aircraft in the airspace to land or exit the threatened area. No aircraft is allowed to take off from an airport under the "Carpet" plan.
According to the BAZA channel on Telegram, the "Carpet" plan was announced in the morning at airports in Makhachkala (the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Dagestan), Ulyanovsk (Ulyanovsk Oblast - located about 800 kilometres east of Moscow), Saratov (Saratov Oblast - near the Engels airbase), Vladikavkaz (the capital of the Republic of North Ossetia), Grozny (Chechnya), and Kazan (the capital of Tatarstan).
Ukrainian drone attack?
The closure of several airports for "safety reasons" was also confirmed in reports by the Ria Novosti agency.
BAZA reports that the actual reason for enacting the "Carpet" plan was Ukrainian drone attacks. For instance, authorities in North Ossetia reported shooting down two drones in the region: one over the Shalkhi training ground and another in the Prigorodny city area. An air alert was even announced in this area in the morning.
After a few hours, operations at all airports resumed.
The Russian Ministry of Defence boasted in the morning that it shot down 68 Ukrainian drones in Russia. It also claimed to have destroyed 8 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Source: Telegram/BAZA, ria.ru
