Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has warned airlines still flying through Russian airspace that the skies are becoming increasingly dangerous as Ukraine steps up its drone attacks deep inside Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a direct warning to global airlines, stating that Russian airspace is becoming “completely dangerous.”
In his nightly address, Zelensky made it clear that Ukraine does not intend to target civilian aircraft. “Not a single civilian aircraft,” he stressed. However, he warned that the sheer volume of drones now operating in Russian skies is on a scale that simply cannot be ignored.
The message was aimed directly at carriers from countries like China, Turkey, and various Gulf states. While most Western airlines banned flights over Russian territory following the 2022 invasion, these specific carriers still use the routes to cut travel time and fuel costs between Asia and Europe.
But the risk is rising fast. Ukrainian drone strikes have repeatedly forced major airports in Moscow and St Petersburg to halt arrivals and departures. Under Russia’s own strict air defense rules, any detected drone triggers immediate, widespread flight suspensions.
Aviation risk experts at Osprey Flight Solutions echoed this danger, warning clients in a recent alert that “miscalculation and/or misidentification is likely” in these heavily contested zones.
SEE ALSO: 27 Killed and Hundreds Forced to Flee as Russian Drones Hit Kyiv Region
Moscow did not take the warning lightly. Russian President Vladimir Putin fired back, calling Zelensky’s statement a “declaration of state terrorism.”
“You don’t negotiate with terrorists,” Putin said, vowing to continue Russia’s own intensified bombardment of Ukraine. Just this week, heavy strikes killed 12 people and targeted energy facilities across multiple regions, including Kyiv and Odesa.
Zelensky has made his strategy clear in recent weeks: if Russia brings the war to Ukraine every single day, Ukraine will bring the war back to where it came from.
For now, the skies over Russia are crowded with unpredictable threats. For the airlines still gambling on those shortcuts, the price of saving a few hours may soon become far too high to pay.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
