Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russian airspace is unsafe amid ongoing drone attacks.
In his nightly address on Tuesday, 1st September, Zelensky warned airlines and insurance companies not to assume Russian airspace is safe.
Bohdan, a drone pilot from the Unmanned Systems Battalion of Ukraine’s 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, pilots an FPV drone in Donetsk Oblast during active battle operations. Photo: David Kirichenko
U.S. Air Force Maj. Josiah “Sirius” Gaffney, Pacific Air Forces Demonstration Team commander, prepares to fly a practice sortie before the Dubai Airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 11, 2021. In addition to the PACAF F-16 Demonstration Team routine, the air show will highlight a variety of U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps aircraft showcasing the range of U.S. military airpower capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Matthew Kakaris)
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian infrastructure through drone assaults over recent months in a bid to disrupt the Russian economy, supply lines and civilian morale.
Skies Are “Completely Dangerous”
In his nightly video address, the Ukrainian President claimed that Russian airspace is effectively closed as Kyiv targets critical infrastructure across the country.
“Today, 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,” Zelensky said on Tuesday evening.
Although Kyiv has brought disruption to everyday Russian life as a result of its enemy’s full-scale invasion, Zelensky has long maintained that his country’s armed forces are not targeting civilians specifically – something he reiterated last night.
“Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such – not a single civilian aircraft,” the Ukrainian President continued, adding that he did not desire a loss of innocent lives. “There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account.”
Disruption in Russia
Ukrainian drone assaults have played havoc on Russian air travel for months, as the country uses cheap, easily reproducible UAVs against Russian assets.
Airports in St. Petersburg and Moscow have been forced to suspend departures and arrivals in recent months because of drones from Ukraine.
Under Russia’s “Kovyor” air defense plan, flights are suspended if a drone is detected nearby, meaning Ukraine does not need to target airports or aircraft to cause disruption.
On Wednesday, scores of flights were suspended across Russia, including 77 chartered by Turkish Airlines, causing delays and cancellations at three Moscow airports.
Osprey Flight Solutions has warned that disruption was likely to continue for the rest of the year.
In an alert to clients, the aviation risk advisory firm said that although most strikes would occur within 300km of the Russo-Ukrainian border, daily attacks deeper inside Russia could also take place.
“There is also a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes will continue to increase in the short term deep inside Russian territory,” the alert added. “It is assessed that miscalculation and/or misidentification is likely in areas related to the Ukraine conflict.”
Russia’s Response
Echoing previous rhetoric, Russian President Vladimir Putin described his Ukrainian counterpart’s address as a “declaration of state terrorism.” Speaking at the Shanghai Co-operation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin added: “They are asking us to resume negotiations… but you don’t negotiate with terrorists.”
Russia has maintained daily aerial assaults on Ukraine, with civilians killed and residential infrastructure damaged.
Hours before Zelensky’s address, a dozen people were killed across Kyiv and the surrounding areas on the sixth consecutive day of military strikes against Ukraine’s capital.
Ukraine’s Drone Warfare
Under attack from an aggressor, Ukraine’s air defenses have been stretched over the past four and a half years amid persistent aerial bombardment.
A worldwide shortage of Patriot air defense systems, along with Russian technological advancements in its drones, means the country can no longer defend its skies as well as it once could.
With Russia making incremental gains in Ukraine’s east and continuing to attack by air, Kyiv has increased its assaults on Russian assets over the past year.
This appears to be a multiple-fold strategy. Energy infrastructure, for example, plays a key role in Russia’s war effort.
In the face of heavy international sanctions, Russia continues to trade with several states, providing cheap oil and gas to fund its ongoing war.
These attacks are not only hampering Russia’s economy.
Transport and communication facilities are also among those that have been targeted, disrupting Russian supply lines as Moscow races to resupply heavy losses in eastern Ukraine.
There is also the factor of bringing the war, which many once expected to be confined to the borders of Ukraine, home to the Russian people.
Logistics factories, including Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, have been subject to aerial assaults in recent months.
This strategy has seen morale plummet in Russia as the country faces fuel shortages and disruption to everyday life – notwithstanding the loss of loved ones in a war well into its fifth year.
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About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
