Russia is reopening the first of several regional airports that were closed when the country invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, state civil aviation agency Rosaviatsia said Friday.

All flights to and from 11 airports in the southern and central parts of the country have been suspended due to security concerns since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Elista airport in the Republic of Kalmykia on the shores of the Caspian Sea will open next Friday, May 3, after a security check by the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Air Transport Agency, the aviation department said in a statement.

“As a result of the work carried out, a safe and comfortable environment has been created at Elista airport,” the statement said.

Elista airport is located 380 kilometers east of the border with Ukraine, which has stepped up drone strikes against Russian regions along its borders and further into Russian territory.

There is no information that the Republic of Kalmykia was subjected to drone strikes, which Kyiv neither officially confirms nor denies.