Moscow's Vnukovo airport temporarily restricts landings and takeoffs

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Landings and takeoffs at Moscow's Vnukovo airport were restricted for several hours early on Tuesday before normal operations resumed on Tuesday morning.

Restrictions were in place until 8:00 am local time (0500 GMT), Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said on the Telegram messaging app, adding it was down "for technical reasons beyond the control of the airport".

It added that a number of flights were diverted to other airports.

The agency said other Moscow airports were functioning normally.

It comes after a number of at least three drones were intercepted in the skies over the Moscow region - including two just 30 km southwest of the Kremlin, Russian news agencies said. One drone was detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region.

"The Kyiv regime's attempt to attack an area where civilian infrastructure is located, including the airport, which incidentally also receives foreign flights, is yet another act of terrorism," Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova said.

"The international community should realise that the United States, Britain, France - permanent members of the UN Security Council - are financing a terrorist regime," she said.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

"At this moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defence forces," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram messaging channel. "All detected drones have been eliminated."

There were no casualties reported, he added.

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