Russia closes air space after 'UFO' is spotted day after Putin's spy plane is destroyed

Russia closed its air space over St Petersburg and scrambled fighter jets after a UFO was spotted overhead.

The main airport in St Petersburg, Pulkovo Airport, was closed over fears of a drone attack on the city with all civilian departures and arrivals suspended or redirected. Airspace in the vicinity of a 125-mile radius was also closed.

St Peterburg is home to the controversial Russian leader Vladimir Putin and fighter jets were scrambled to investigate the “intruding” object amid fears of a drone attack.

In the Telegram channel VChK OGPU, a source said: “An unidentified flying object was spotted in the morning 180km [112 miles] from St. Petersburg in the area of one of the military facilities.

“Pulkovo Airport [St Petersburg] was closed on the recommendation of the Ministry of Defence.”

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The source said at least five Russian military craft were airborne to intercept the drone, while local media reported that the planes in the sky included the Su-35 and MiG-31 jets.

It’s believed the mystery flying object was initially spotted towards the Gulf of Finland. Some unconfirmed reports suggest it was a “large drone”, meanwhile Russian media has blamed NATO for the object despite there being no evidence of that.

According to Russian media outlet Baza, the country implemented the “Carpet” plan, which calls for all non-military aircraft to be grounded that is typically rolled out in the event of an unidentified flying object.

It also applies when something crosses the “state border of the Russian federation (RF)” or “when using weapons and military equipment of the RF Armed Forces against the intruder aircraft”.

It comes after Putin's spy plane worth £274 million was destroyed by two drones at a Russian airbase in Belarus. It is believed the drone attack was carried out by Belarus partisans supporting Ukraine as Russia continues to wage war on the country.

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