(SOCHI, KRASNODAR KRAI) – Drone attacks have paralysed operations at Sochi International Airport, leaving thousands of passengers stranded for days in severely overcrowded conditions. Local social media channels report that travellers have been sleeping on terminal floors using towels and camping mats as makeshift bedding.
Since 5 June 2026, the airport has functioned with significant disruption amid sustained Ukrainian drone activity. According to one report: “According to the online flight board, dozens of departures and arrivals are delayed, and some flights have been cancelled. People are complaining about the overcrowded terminal: there are no seats left, and passengers are sitting and lying on the floor, using towels and camping mats as bedding. During this time, the airport has been open for a total of only 8 minutes.”
The terminal, designed for transient passengers, now resembles a temporary shelter as thousands wait without adequate facilities. Departure boards display cascading delays while cancellation notices accumulate, reflecting the operational paralysis gripping this key transport hub in southern Russia.
The airport press service issued a statement claiming normalcy: “All operations—from check-in to boarding flights—are being carried out as usual.” This assertion stands in stark contrast to the lived reality of passengers posting images and accounts from the terminal floor.
On the evening of 5 June, a flight from Moscow to Sochi was compelled to land twice due to the threat of drone attacks, underscoring the persistent danger in Russian airspace. The incident at Sochi follows a broader pattern of aviation disruption across Russia, including a recent missile threat declared in the Urals that forced airport closures roughly 2,000 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
The continued operation of civilian flights through contested or threatened airspace raises serious safety concerns. With Russian air defence systems repeatedly demonstrating a tendency toward catastrophic errors, the risk to commercial aviation grows with each passing day of the conflict.
Footage of the overcrowded terminal was circulated via local social media channels.