Sochi airport hit by major disruptions amid drone attacks
Russian airport. File photo (Photo: pulkovoairport.ru)
Sochi airport has been operating with major disruptions since June 5 amid Ukrainian drone attacks, leaving thousands of passengers unable to leave the Russian resort city for several days, according to the Telegram channel Astra.
Dozens of departures and arrivals were delayed, while some flights were canceled, according to the airport’s online departures board.
Passengers complained of an overcrowded terminal, the report said. With no seats left, people were sitting and lying on the floor, using towels and travel mats as bedding.
During that time, the airport reopened for only eight minutes, the pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Mash reported.
According to the airport’s press service, airlines and airport staff are working in an “enhanced mode” to stabilize the schedule.
At the same time, the airport’s press service claimed the situation remained calm.
“All operations — from check-in to boarding — are being carried out as normal,” the statement said.
On March 13, Agentstvo.Novosti reported that Russia’s Federal Protective Service wanted to establish a security zone covering more than 3 square kilometers around Bocharov Ruchey, the Sochi residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Large-scale attacks on St. Petersburg in Russia
Earlier on June 6, explosions were reported in St. Petersburg and nearby Kronstadt in Russia. Monitoring channels said strikes had hit the Kronstadt Marine Plant. Media reports also said a military cadet corps and the Research Institute of Marine Thermal Engineering may have been targeted. Local Russian authorities acknowledged a large-scale attack involving more than 100 drones, fires and a partial evacuation in the region.
The attack came on the final day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which began June 3. Putin spoke at the event on June 5.
It was the second drone strike on St. Petersburg in recent days. On June 3, Ukrainian attacks reportedly hit the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and the corvette Boykiy in Kronstadt.
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