Ankara, September 20 (Daily Kiran) : A Turkish Airlines flight heading from Istanbul to Moscow turned back on Sunday after nearing the Russian capital, coinciding with a significant drone assault from Ukraine. Flight TK407, operated by an Airbus A330-300, took off from Istanbul at 2:22 AM local time (11:22 PM GMT on Saturday). As it entered Russian airspace and approached Vnukovo International Airport, the aircraft reversed course and returned to Istanbul.
This incident disrupted other flights between Turkey and Russia, with at least 35 flights operated by Turkish airlines experiencing delays or cancellations, according to reports from Xinhua News Agency. These disruptions occurred during a night marked by extensive drone strikes targeting Moscow and other regions of Russia.
Moscow’s Mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, reported that since Saturday, Russian air defense systems had intercepted over 1,600 drones nationwide, including approximately 450 aimed at the capital.
On Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that its forces conducted two major and five group attacks on Ukrainian defense facilities, logistics centers, and infrastructure related to energy and transport over the past week. During this period, Russian troops also captured ten settlements.
The ministry detailed that the strikes targeted establishments linked to the defense, metal, motor, and electronics industries, as well as military logistics and distribution centers, fuel and energy facilities, railway and road infrastructure, drone manufacturing workshops, storage centers, munitions, fuel depots, and ports, including areas with temporary deployments of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign fighters.
Additionally, the ministry reported targeting 12 Ukrainian cargo ships, two maritime vessels, a tanker, and a tugboat.
Throughout the week, Russian air defense systems claimed to have shot down 44 guided aerial bombs, eight HIMARS rockets, two Neptune long-range guided missiles, and 5,706 Ukrainian drones.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the deployment of Western soldiers on Ukrainian soil would be viewed by Russia as a direct declaration of war. Speaking at an international youth festival in Yekaterinburg, he emphasized that while Russia is not interested in escalating the conflict, any attack from Europe, which has been preparing for war against Russia, would lead to a very different kind of war that would not last long.
Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s willingness to seek a diplomatic resolution, including a renewed trilateral format proposed by the United States.
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