Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week warned civilian airlines against flying over Russia, saying the country’s airspace will be “effectively” closed going forward.
“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 in a statement released Tuesday.
The Ukrainian president emphasized that his government will not target civilian aircraft but said operators should understand the risks of flying through contested and likely hazardous airspace.
“There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account,” he said.
The Russian government labeled Zelensky’s comments an endorsement of “state terrorism.”
With ground forces locked in a slow, grinding struggle, Ukraine has turned to drones and missiles to strike deep into Russia. In recent months, it has targeted Russian warehouses, power plants, oil refineries, and air defense sites. Russia has responded by launching missiles at Ukrainian population centers.
U.S. airlines stopped flying over Russia in February 2022, when the Russian military began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Most Western carriers have followed suit, or been banned by Russia’s civil aviation authority.
Today, Russian airspace is mainly used by domestic carriers such as Aeroflot and Rossiya, as well as airlines from China, Turkey, India, and the Gulf states. While perhaps unlikely, a full shutdown would pose serious challenges for operators already dealing with disruptions from the Iran war.
It was not immediately clear this week if any carriers, either within Russia or outside of it, will ground or reroute flights following Ukraine’s warning. Data captured by FlightAware on Friday shows major Russian and Chinese airlines continuing to overfly Russia without significant impediments.
