Temporary Flight Suspension at St. Petersburg Airport; Ukraine Intercepts 34 Drones

On Saturday morning, Russia imposed a temporary flight restriction at an airport in St. Petersburg due to what it described as ensuring the 'safety of civilian aircraft.' The Ukrainian Air Force reported intercepting 34 drones launched by Russia in the past 24 hours. Early Saturday, Reuters quoted 'Rosaviatsiya,' the Russian aviation authority, stating that Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg had 'temporarily' halted incoming and outgoing flights from 7:45 AM local time 'to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft.' A few hours later, a representative from the Russian aviation authority announced that the flight restrictions were lifted at 10:15 AM. The agency did not specify a reason for the decision to halt flights, but Russian airports had previously been closed due to 'the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks' in the area. Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad region, which includes St. Petersburg, stated that Russian forces shot down two drones near the 'Luga' Gulf in the Gulf of Finland. On Saturday morning, a representative from Rosaviatsiya wrote on the messaging app Telegram: 'The airport is temporarily not accepting or dispatching flights. Aircraft crews, air traffic controllers, and airport services are taking all necessary measures to ensure flight safety - this is the main priority.' Concurrently with the news of flight restrictions in St. Petersburg, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that its air defense had shot down 34 out of 81 drones launched by Russia in the past day. This source also noted that Ukraine used electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones, adding that 47 other drones were 'missing.' On Friday, January 14, Ukraine also reported that one person was killed in Russian drone attacks on the country. According to Ukrainian officials, this series of attacks in the Kyiv region resulted in one civilian death and four injuries.