Massive Russian Cargo Plane Dives Low Over Moscow Suburbs to Dodge Deadly Drone Swarm
Antonov-124’s Hair-Raising Low Flight Near Moscow Flats
One of the world’s largest cargo planes, the Russian Antonov-124, pulled a heart-stopping low-level flight over Moscow’s suburbs this morning. The 226ft-long giant, famed for its 240ft wingspan and 150-ton cargo capacity, skimmed just metres above apartment blocks as it neared Vnukovo airport.
Why? To avoid a swarm of Ukrainian kamikaze drones targeting the Kremlin city. Russian air defences scrambled to shoot down the drones, forcing the colossal plane to dive under the radar and risk flying perilously close to buildings. Locals were left stunned by the jaw-dropping manoeuvre.
Drone Swarm Grounds Moscow Flights in Airspace Mayhem
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed at least 34 drones were shot down overnight and into the morning, causing massive disruption across Russian skies. The capital’s key airports, including Sheremetyevo, Kazan, and Nizhnekamsk, cancelled all arrivals and departures.
- A Dubai-to-Moscow flight was diverted to Nizhny Novgorod, where passengers were stuck onboard for three hours. Stranded travellers received mattresses but no food or booze, sparking frustration.
- Another flight from Vladivostok was rerouted to St Petersburg amid the chaos.
One passenger vented: “There are 300 of us. No food, no booze, just water. Everyone’s phone chargers dead and flights keep getting pushed back.”
Explosions Rock Moscow as War Hits Home
The tension exploded further with a car park blast in Reutov, just nine miles from the Kremlin—a rare and ominous sign of the war creeping closer to Russia’s heart. Meanwhile, Ukraine suffered deadly Russian strikes, including a missile attack in Odesa killing one woman and injuring three, and six bombs hitting a residential block in Zaporizhzhia, claiming another civilian life.
These attacks come just days before a high-profile meeting in New York between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, raising the stakes in this brutal conflict.
