7 June 2026

Since Friday, June 5, Sochi Airport has been experiencing serious disruptions due to attacks by Ukrainian drones, and thousands of passengers have been unable to fly out of the resort city for several days, according to the propaganda outlet Mash. During this time, the airport opened for only eight minutes, the channel notes. Thirty-nine arrivals and 37 departures have been delayed, and another 17 have been cancelled. 

The terminals are densely packed with people. There are practically no empty seats: passengers are forced to sit and lie on the floor, using towels and sleeping mats. “There’s not a single free chair. People are lying on the floor. All the information desks are occupied, there’s no clarity. The boards are empty,” one passenger told the portal 93.ru. According to Mash, due to the overcrowding, elevators at the airport are out of order, the lounges are stuffy, and there are reports of fainting. 

Some aircraft are being diverted to alternate airfields: for example, a Moscow-Sochi flight was first sent to Astrakhan and then to Mineralnye Vody. Check-in for some flights is not taking place, and passengers are not receiving clear notifications and are essentially unclear on how to proceed, reports Bloknot. 

This is not the first time such a large-scale disruption to air travel has occurred due to drone attacks. In early May, according to Novaya Evropa estimates, approximately 1,000 outbound flights and over 1,200 inbound flights were delayed at Moscow’s Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, and Domodedovo airports, with approximately 300 more canceled. Passengers were also left stranded in terminals for days without clear information, sleeping on the floor and trying to find alternative routes, including via St. Petersburg.

https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2026/06/07/update-1-sem-stran-opek-soglasovali-uvelichenie-kvot-v-iyule-na-188000-barrsut-reliz-a197527