200 square kilometers of airspace have been closed over St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, and now there are practically no civilian aircraft over the city, according to data from the Flightradar24 service. According to the Telegram channel Baza, the authorities introduced the "Carpet" plan due to an unidentified aircraft in the air. Pulkovo airport does not accept aircraft now, the airspace will be closed until 13:00.
RIA Novosti, citing the city authorities, reports that Pulkovo Airport does not temporarily receive or send aircraft, but the reason is not called.
The "Carpet" signal is used for illegal border crossing or the appearance of unidentified aircraft. When it is submitted, all aircraft must immediately land or leave the area. Baza also claims that fighter jets took off into the sky over St. Petersburg. Flights whose route passes through the airspace of St. Petersburg are deployed in the air. For example, the flight Moscow – Kaliningrad, which passes through the airspace of the Leningrad region, returns to the airport of departure. Almost all flights on the scoreboard in Pulkovo are delayed.
In mid-February, the “Carpet” signal was already introduced in the Leningrad Region – then the airspace over the city of Lodeynoye Pole was closed.
Presumably, the actions of the authorities may be associated with a night attack by drones in the Krasnodar Territory.