Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said flights to Russian airports are being suspended after he warned about Russia’s airspace on Tuesday, 1st September.
In his nightly address earlier this week, Zelensky claimed that Russia’s airspace is “completely dangerous” amid ongoing drone attacks by Kyiv.
Putin in May 2025 Looking Grim. Image Credit: Kremlin.
Ukraine has focused heavily on targeting critical infrastructure in recent months, with the Russian Defense Ministry claiming to have intercepted more than 400 drones on Wednesday night alone.
Zelensky’s Warning
On Tuesday, Zelensky 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 on Tuesday 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 that have to be taken into account.”
Flights Suspended
24 hours later, Zelensky said that flights had already been suspended in the aftermath of Tuesday’s warning.
“We’re getting word that the first airlines have started to suspend flights to Russian airports following our announcement about the drone hazard that objectively exists in Russian airspace,” the Ukrainian President said on social media when sharing Wednesday’s address. “This is the right and perfectly logical response to the facts as they are – to everything stemming from the war [Russian President Vladimir] Putin doesn’t want to end. Lives must be protected.”
He added that his country had “officially informed international organizations and our partners about the real situation in Russian airspace,” – something echoed by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in a social media post on Tuesday.
“This is our responsible decision to notify ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization] and all airlines, and governments to take caution – even if Russia refuses to fulfill its responsibility to inform them,” Sybiha added. “We want to prevent unintended incidents.”
Scores of Delays
Citing Flightradar24 data, Reuters reported that Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport suffered 21 cancellations and 235 delays on Wednesday. At Vnukovo, also in the capital, there were 22 cancellations and 94 delays.
Independent Russian outlet Agentstvo also confirmed cancellations across Moscow’s four main airports, with 27 foreign airlines reportedly canceling flights in a sharp rise compared to the previous day.
While many Western airlines have ceased travel over Russian airspace since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Middle Eastern and Asian airlines have continued operations.
On Wednesday, cancellations included services by Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines and Turkish Airlines, flydubai of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt’s Nesma Airlines, Shirak Avia of Armenia, Kuwait Airways and Somon Air of Tajikistan.
“We continue to closely monitor the evolving situation in the region and adjust our flight schedules and routings as necessary,” said flydubai in a statement to Reuters. “As the situation remains dynamic, our teams are continuously assessing operational requirements. We recognize that some delays and diversions may occur,” the company continued, adding: “The safety of our customers and crew remains our highest priority.”
Russia Stands Firm
“The war is returning home to Russia,” Sybiha said on Tuesday.
However, Russian officials were adamant that disruption would be minimal.
“We are constantly improving flight safety and airport security requirements, and we have solutions for all of this,” said Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin. “We are working in close contact with the Ministry of Defense and the Russian National Guard. I believe that we will now allow any significant disruption to civil aviation.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said the Ukrainian notification to the ICAO had “no legal force and violates the Convention on International Civil Aviation.”
“Russia’s air transport and its ground infrastructure continue to operate according to plan, handling arrivals and departures, including flights by foreign airlines,” it added.
Echoing previous rhetoric, Putin described his Ukrainian counterpart’s warning as a “declaration of state terrorism.”
Russia has maintained daily aerial assaults on Ukraine, with civilians killed and residential infrastructure damaged.
Hours before Zelensky’s Tuesday address, a dozen people were killed across Kyiv and the surrounding areas on the sixth consecutive day of military strikes against Ukraine’s capital.
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.
