A new wave of drone threats on Aug. 17 prompted restrictions at airports in Russia's Krasnodar Krai and caused major disruption to air traffic in Sochi. Russian military authorities also reported hundreds of drones intercepted during the day, including over the Rostov region and the Black Sea.
In the second half of the day, drone threat alerts were issued in at least nine municipalities across Krasnodar Krai. Warnings were issued for residents of Anapa, Gelendzhik, Novorossiysk, Krymsky, Temryuk and Abinsky districts, and later for Sochi, Tuapse district and Mostovsky district.
At around 6:40 p.m., Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko separately declared a drone attack threat and urged residents to avoid open areas and take shelter indoors, away from windows.
Amid the threat, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency temporarily restricted arrivals and departures at Gelendzhik airport. Restrictions had also been imposed at Sochi airport earlier in the day.
By evening, repeated airspace closures had caused major disruption to Sochi airport's flight schedule. Russian media reported that 113 flights were delayed — 60 departures and 53 arrivals. For some flights, accumulated delays reached 53 hours.
There were no reports of damage to the airports themselves. The delays were caused by restrictions imposed by the authorities in response to the threat of drone attacks.
The latest air-raid alert coincided with another large wave of drones over Russian regions. Russia's Defence Ministry said that between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Aug. 17, air defences had intercepted and destroyed 316 drones over nine regions and the Black Sea.
The Rostov region was among the southern regions specifically named by the ministry. It did not say how many drones had been intercepted over the region or the Black Sea. The figures could not be independently verified.
Earlier, the Defence Ministry reported another 205 drones allegedly destroyed overnight on Aug. 17. That report named the southern regions of Rostov, Volgograd and Astrakhan, as well as the Black and Azov seas.
In total, the Russian military claimed to have intercepted more than 500 drones across different parts of the country during the night and following day.
The overnight attack also temporarily disrupted operations at Volgograd airport. Four flights were delayed after the airport resumed operations in the morning. Regional authorities reported no casualties or damage.
Meanwhile, authorities in Novorossiysk are continuing to assess the damage from previous attacks. According to the latest figures from the city administration, 705 apartments and 106 private homes have now been damaged in attacks in recent days.
The previous major attack on southern Russia took place overnight on Aug. 17. As New DOSH reported, a drone struck a private house in the Yenotayevsky district of the Astrakhan region, killing a woman. Rostov authorities said around 50 drones had been shot down.
The recent attacks have also disrupted grain exports through southern Russian ports and contributed to a decline in grain purchase prices.
A day earlier, overnight on Aug. 16, five people were killed and one injured in one of the most serious attacks in the Rostov region in recent weeks.
