Ukraine has urged the UN’s aviation agency to urge its member nations to impose a complete ban on civilian aircraft operations over Russian airspace, following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning that the area is “becoming completely unsafe.”
On Tuesday, senior Ukrainian officials announced plans to increase retaliation against Russia’s intensified strikes on Kyiv, which has endured nonstop air raid alerts for seven consecutive days and has experienced damage to civilian infrastructure.
While Ukraine stated it would only target Russian military installations and avoid threatening civilian aircraft, Zelensky emphasized that the expanding presence of Ukrainian drones within Russia’s airspace must be factored into the security calculus.
In a letter addressed to International Civil Aviation Organization Chairman Juan Carlos Salazar—shared exclusively with Reuters by Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Mykola Kalashnyk—Kyiv argues that the risk of aviation tragedies must be minimized.
The Ukrainian government has asked ICAO to encourage aviation regulators and airlines to protect civil aviation, “including by facilitating the full prohibition by ICAO member states of civil aircraft operations within the airspace of the Russian Federation.”
Although European and U.S. airlines already avoidRussian airspace due to the ongoing conflict that began with Russia’s 2022 invasion, flights from China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf states continue to use the region.
ICAO cannot enforce regulations directly on its 193 member states, but its guidelines significantly shape national aviation policies. The Montreal-based UN agency relies on consensus to establish standards ranging from runway safety to seatbelt requirements.
On Wednesday, ICAO issued a statement noting that the risk of weapons targeting commercial aircraft is rising and urging stronger commitments from countries to safeguard flights operating near conflict zones.
“ICAO is observing heightened risks of civil aircraft being targeted or caught in crossfire,” the statement read. “While the aviation industry can reroute flights and maintain operations during conflicts, this operational flexibility does not address the fundamental security threat.”
Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions analyzed that Ukraine’s drone and missile strikes have demonstrated operational reach deep into Russian territory, resulting in airport closures and flight cancellations.
“Zelensky is publicly articulating what Ukraine has been doing for months: systematically disrupting Russian airspace,” Osprey stated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Zelensky’s remarks as “state terrorism.” Moscow subsequently pledged to prevent any interference with civil aviation.
In 2024, an Azerbaijan Airlines bound for Russia’s Grozny crashed upon emergency landing in Kazakhstan after deviating from its path—a strike Putin claimed was caused by Ukrainian drones.
Ukraine shut down its airspace to civilian traffic when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, firing missile barrages without warning civilian planes. Airports have remained closed since, with SkyUp, Ukraine’s sole surviving airline, now operating out of neighboring Moldova.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
