Ukraine’s president has warned airlines that Russian airspace is effectively becoming closed as his nation ramps up its drone operations.
“We wish to alert every airline operating in Russian airspace, every insurer, and all parties still utilizing major Russian airports: the Russian sky is rapidly becoming a hazardous zone,” Volodymyr Zelensky stated.
Most Western carriers have ceased flying over Russia since the start of the ongoing invasion, though airlines from countries such as China continue to do so.
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded, describing Zelensky’s remarks as a “declaration of state terrorism”, and affirmed that Russia would persist with its escalating assaults on Ukraine.
Explaining the heightened risk to airspace, Zelensky said: “Ukraine does not pose a threat to civilian aviation as such — not a single civilian aircraft.
“Drones will appear over Russian skies on a scale that must be taken into account,” he said in his Tuesday evening video address.
Zelensky asserted that “the war launched by Russia is closing its own skies.”
He directed the warning to airlines that continue to operate flights to Russian airports, particularly those serving major cities such as St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Ukraine has struck energy infrastructure deep within Russian territory, as well as large retail establishments.
Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions, in a client alert, noted that while most of Ukraine’s drone and missile strikes are expected within 300 km (186 miles) of the border, daily assaults deeper into Russian territory are virtually certain to persist throughout the year.
“There is also a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes will continue to rise in the near term deep inside Russian territory,” the alert stated. “It is assessed that miscalculation and/or misidentification is likely in areas related to the Ukraine conflict.”
Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said: “They are urging us to resume negotiations… but you do not negotiate with terrorists.”
His remarks came as Russia’s attacks on Ukraine persist, with heavy strikes killing 12 people on Monday. The military has indicated it is preparing to launch “massive” strikes on Ukrainian power stations.
Putin also acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes have damaged infrastructure within Russia, while maintaining that only “10%” of oil refineries remain to be repaired.
Chinese, Turkish, and Gulf state airlines are among those utilizing Russian airspace, benefiting from reduced flight times and fuel consumption on routes between Asia and Europe.
Other carriers have largely avoided the eastern European region since the start of Russia’s full‑scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian aircraft since the outbreak of the war.
Last year, the United Nations aviation agency determined that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014.
All 298 people aboard the passenger plane were killed when it was struck by a Russian‑manufactured missile. The Kremlin has consistently denied any responsibility for the disaster.
In 2024, Putin apologized to the president of neighboring Azerbaijan for the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace, an incident that claimed 38 lives.
He said the “tragic incident” occurred while Russian air‑defence systems were repelling Ukrainian drones.