Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned airlines, insurers and aviation authorities on Monday (September 1) that Russia’s airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous as Ukraine expands its long-range drone operations inside Russian territory. In a Telegram post, he said the growing number of drones could effectively make parts of Russian airspace unusable for civilian aviation.
“We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address. He stressed that Ukraine was not targeting civilian aircraft, but argued that airlines must account for the increasing presence of drones. He also called on foreign diplomats to communicate the warning to their governments and said Ukrainian authorities would provide international organisations with information about the risks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the warning, describing Zelenskyy’s statements as a “declaration of state terrorism.” Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said, “you don't negotiate with terrorists,” while maintaining that Russia’s military offensive was continuing to gain momentum.
The warnings come amid an intensification of long-range attacks by both sides. Ukrainian drones have increasingly struck military, energy, industrial and logistics infrastructure deep inside Russia, while Russian authorities have repeatedly restricted or suspended flights at Moscow and other airports during drone attacks. Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions assessed that most Ukrainian strikes would probably remain within 300km of the border but warned that deeper attacks were likely to continue and could increase in frequency.
Russia has continued operating major airports and passenger flights, including routes used by Chinese, Turkish and Gulf carriers that cross Russian airspace to save time and fuel. Most Western airlines, however, have avoided Russian airspace since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
The aviation risks are particularly significant given previous incidents. The 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by Russian-backed forces killed all 298 people aboard, while in 2024 Russia acknowledged that an airliner crash that killed 38 people occurred as its air defences were responding to Ukrainian drones.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts led by the United States remain stalled, despite continued contacts between Washington and Moscow.
Source: commonspace.eu with BBC News (London) and Euromaidan Press (Kyiv).
