Moscow's airports closed for security reasons

All four major airports in Moscow were closed and all air traffic was temporarily suspended on Thursday afternoon, reports the state-owned Russian news agency Tass.

The decision to temporarily stop air traffic was taken due to "security reasons", according to the Russian authority Rosaviatsia, which oversees Russian air traffic.

According to media reports, the stop was introduced due to drone threats from Ukraine.

The stop affected a total of five airports. In addition to the four airports in Moscow, traffic was stopped at Kaluga Airport, about 16 miles from Moscow.

Shortly after 3 pm local time, air traffic was reopened in Moscow's airspace.