Zelenskyy warns airlines off Russian airspace as drone war escalates

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned airlines that Russian airspace is becoming too dangerous for civilian flights as Ukraine expands long-range drone operations, drawing an accusation of “state terrorism” from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports: the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Tuesday. He said Ukraine has since formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace is not safe for civilian aviation.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine “does not threaten civilian aviation as such — not a single civilian aircraft” and does not want innocent lives lost. But he added: “There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account.”

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that the notification to the U.N. aviation agency was intended to “prevent unintended incidents,” adding: “The war is returning home to Russia.”

Most Western commercial airlines have avoided Russian airspace since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, while carriers from countries including China, Turkey and Gulf states still use it, benefiting from shorter routes between Asia and Europe. On Wednesday afternoon, the BBC reported, flight-tracking site FlightRadar24 showed many aircraft still flying over Russia, including into and out of Moscow’s two main airports.

Several airlines told the BBC they were monitoring the risks. Qatar Airways said its flight planning is “guided by rigorous and continuous monitoring of airspace security, safety assessments, and geopolitical developments.” FlyDubai said it would “closely monitor the evolving situation in the region and adjust our flight schedules and routings as necessary.”

Putin, speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, said Zelenskyy’s comments amounted to terrorism. “They are asking us to resume negotiations… but you don’t negotiate with terrorists,” he said. Asked whether Russia would strike British military facilities if London continues supplying Ukraine with weapons, Putin declined to rule it out, calling it “a military secret,” Al Jazeera reported.

The warnings came amid another wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine. Russia fired 174 attack drones, two ballistic missiles and two plane-launched missiles overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Officials in Odesa said a 24-storey residential building was damaged, apartments were destroyed on several floors and eight people, including a child, were wounded. Office buildings and two educational facilities were also damaged, while a power outage halted electric-powered public transport.

In the Kyiv region, two people were wounded by shrapnel in morning attacks, officials said. Kyiv and its surrounding region have been attacked for seven straight days. The BBC reported that heavy Russian strikes killed 12 people on Tuesday, followed by further attacks on Odesa, Sumy and Kyiv on Wednesday. Russia’s military has said it is preparing “massive” strikes on Ukrainian power stations.

Russia also reported heavy Ukrainian drone activity. Its Defence Ministry said air defences destroyed 130 Ukrainian drones overnight over 11 Russian regions, Crimea and the Black Sea. In Russia’s Belgorod border region, Ukrainian drone attacks killed two people and wounded 16, acting governor Aleksandr Shuvaev said, adding that the region was hit 140 times in 24 hours.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted energy facilities deep inside Russia, including oil infrastructure, and depots belonging to major online retailers Wildberries and Ozon. The strikes have disrupted major Russian airports, especially in Moscow, where all four major airports have at times halted arrivals and departures under Russia’s “Kovyor,” or carpet, air defence plan, which suspends flights when drones are detected nearby.

Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation risk advisory firm, warned clients that most Ukrainian drone and missile strikes are likely within 300km of the border, but said daily attacks deeper inside Russia are almost certain to continue this year and could increase in the short term.