Thousands of airline travelers at airports in Moscow and St. Petersburg encountered significant travel disruptions on Monday due to the delays and cancellations of hundreds of flights linked to Ukrainian drone strikes.

The Russian aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, reported that as of Monday morning, 104 outbound flights at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg experienced delays exceeding two hours, with both incoming and outgoing flights also facing cancellations.

At Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, 40 flights were reported as delayed but none were officially canceled, according to Rosaviatsia. However, the airport’s official website listed several flight cancellations.

Despite the agency asserting that “all airports across the country are operating normally,” the flight schedules on the websites of Moscow and St. Petersburg airports reflected considerable delays and cancellations into Monday evening.

From Saturday to Monday morning, airlines canceled 485 flights and delayed an additional 1,900, affecting more than 240,000 travelers.

These disruptions occurred while the Russian Defense Ministry announced the interception of over 200 Ukrainian drones over the weekend. On Monday, the ministry reported downing 91 drones overnight, including eight in the Moscow area and three in the Leningrad region.

Images and videos circulated on social media depicted crowded terminals in Moscow and St. Petersburg, with some passengers resorting to sleeping on the floors while awaiting news about their flights.

Industry experts and airline sources informed the business newspaper Kommersant that the flight disruptions have led to estimated losses of approximately 20 billion rubles (around $250 million) for airlines.

Similar situations were observed at Russian airports last summer when frequent drone attacks on Moscow prompted temporary closures and flight restrictions at airports in the vicinity.