Moscow shuts down airports and mobile signals as Victory Day parade looms

Lead

Moscow temporarily suspended operations at all four of its airports and cut mobile internet access for many users on Tuesday, as Russian authorities tightened security ahead of the 9 May Victory Day parade — the country's foremost national celebration. The measures came amid heightened fears of Ukrainian drone strikes, after a drone hit a high-rise apartment building near the Kremlin earlier this week, according to reports from The Guardian, BBC News, and the South China Morning Post.

Coverage Comparison

The three news outlets that covered the story — BBC News, The Guardian, and the South China Morning Post — agreed on the core facts: a drone struck a residential building in an upscale Moscow district on Monday morning, causing damage but no casualties; Russian air defences intercepted two other drones; and the parade would be scaled back. All three noted the strike occurred less than 10 kilometres from the Kremlin, a rare breach of the capital's air defences.

However, the emphasis differed. BBC News focused on the visible damage to the building's façade and described the attack as part of a "massive" Ukrainian drone offensive, quoting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's comment that the Kremlin was afraid drones would fly over Red Square. The Guardian's coverage highlighted Russia's broader security measures, including airport closures, mobile internet restrictions, and the deployment of snipers on Kremlin towers, alongside the unilateral ceasefire declared by Moscow for 8-9 May. The South China Morning Post adopted a more restrained tone, emphasising the official Russian account of the incident via Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and the Defence Ministry's announcement that heavy military equipment would be absent from the parade for the first time since 2007.

Key Claims

All three sources confirmed that a Ukrainian drone struck a high-rise residential building on Mosfilmovskaya Street in Moscow's upscale south-west district, approximately six to eight kilometres from the Kremlin. The building's upper floors sustained visible damage, but no casualties were reported, according to a post by Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The attack marked the third consecutive night of drone raids on the capital, as reported by BBC News.

The Guardian, citing Russian officials, reported that Moscow had shut down all four of its airports on Tuesday over unspecified security concerns and that mobile internet access was temporarily cut for many users, disrupting taxi drivers, couriers, and other workers. By midday, service appeared to be largely restored. Russian officials have previously justified such shutdowns as necessary to protect the capital from drone attacks and acts of sabotage.

In the run-up to the parade, security in Moscow has been visibly tightened, with checkpoints across the city and snipers and machine-gun crews deployed on Kremlin towers, according to The Guardian. The report also stated that President Vladimir Putin's personal protection had been stepped up — a claim carried by a single outlet and not yet independently verified. The South China Morning Post noted that Putin was scheduled to deliver a speech at the parade, which he has turned into a key pillar of his tenure.

Russia's Defence Ministry announced last week that the Victory Day parade would proceed without heavy military equipment — a first since 2007 — in response to potential security threats, as reported by both The Guardian and the South China Morning Post.

A key topic of disagreement was the ceasefire. The Guardian reported that Moscow had declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine for 8-9 May and warned of a "massive missile strike" on central Kyiv if it were violated. According to the same report, Ukraine's government dismissed the proposal as a "cynical ploy" to protect the parade from drone attacks, and President Zelenskyy announced a separate truce from 6 May, calling Moscow's offer "not serious." This claim appeared in only one of the three sources, so it should be regarded as unconfirmed by other outlets.

BBC News added that a total of 117 drones were intercepted over several Russian regions between Sunday and Monday, 60 of them in the St Petersburg region — a figure attributed to the Russian defence ministry and the regional governor, respectively. That statistic was not mentioned by the other two outlets.

Perspectives

From the Russian government's perspective, as conveyed through officials like Mayor Sobyanin and the Defence Ministry, the security measures are precautionary responses to Ukrainian drone threats, and the scaled-back parade is a prudent step to ensure public safety. The Kremlin has framed the airport closures and mobile internet restrictions as necessary safeguards against sabotage and aerial attacks.

From the Ukrainian perspective, President Zelensky dismissed Moscow's ceasefire offer as insincere, aimed at shielding the parade rather than advancing peace. He argued that Moscow's fear of drones over Red Square was telling, and he announced a separate truce starting 6 May, suggesting Kyiv was not willing to align with a ceasefire tied to a Russian military holiday.

Independent analysts and Western observers have noted that the drone strike, while symbolic, underscores Ukraine's growing ability to penetrate Russian air defences, and that the security clampdown in Moscow reflects genuine anxiety within the Kremlin ahead of a high-profile national event.