Unidentified object spotted in Russian airspace, St. Petersburg airport temporarily suspends flights

An unconfirmed media report said an unidentified object had been spotted in the sky and that fighter jets had been despatched to investigate.

Russia's Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg temporarily suspended all flights on Tuesday, the city government said, amid unconfirmed Russian media reports of an unidentified object such as a drone above the city.

The government of Russia's second city said on its official Telegram channel that it had halted all flights at the airport until 12 p.m. local time. It did not provide a reason for the suspension.

The state-run TASS news agency said that airspace within a 200-kilometre (124-mile) radius of Pulkovo had been closed until 1.20 p.m. local time, citing an unnamed source.

An unconfirmed media report from online Russian news outlet Baza said an unidentified object had been spotted in the sky and that fighter jets had been despatched to investigate.

Reuters could not immediately confirm that report.

Data from the Flight Radar website showed a number of domestic flights headed for St Petersburg turning back to their destinations, while the airspace closure also appeared to be affecting flights on route to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which requires planes to fly over St. Petersburg.