Zelenskyy warns ‘Russian airspace will effectively be closing’

Key Points:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned international airlines and insurers that Russian airspace will effectively close due to escalating drone operations by Ukraine, making it unsafe for civilian flights.
• Zelenskyy emphasized that while Ukraine does not threaten civilian aircraft, the scale of Ukrainian UAV activity over Russia necessitates caution for airlines and insurers operating in Russian airspace.
• The warning follows nearly a week of sustained Russian drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, with Moscow shifting tactics to smaller, continuous drone waves throughout the day, increasing pressure on Ukrainian air defenses.
• Ukraine’s airspace has been closed to civilian flights since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, but Russian civilian aviation has continued despite disruptions from Ukrainian attacks.
• Zelenskyy urged foreign governments and international organizations to recognize the growing dangers in Russian airspace and to inform their airlines and insurers accordingly, signaling a significant escalation in the conflict’s aerial dimension.