Zelensky warns airlines: Russian airspace becoming dangerous from Ukrainian drone operations

Ukraine's President Zelensky warned international airlines on September 2 that Russian airspace is becoming unsafe due to escalated Ukrainian drone operations. Zelensky said "the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous" and that "there will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account." He directed the warning to airlines continuing to operate flights to Russian airports, especially in major cities like St. Petersburg and Moscow. Zelensky stated that "Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such—not a single civilian aircraft" and did not want the loss of innocent lives. Ukraine has targeted energy facilities deep inside Russian territory and attacked depots belonging to Russia's two biggest online retailers, Wildberries and Ozon, according to BBC reporting. Ukrainian drone attacks have for months disrupted some of Russia's biggest airports, especially in Moscow, where at times all four major airports have been forced to halt arrivals and departures. Under Russia's air defense "Kovyor" (carpet) plan, flights are suspended if a drone is detected in the relevant area. Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions said the majority of Ukraine's drone and missile strikes were likely to occur within 300 kilometers (186 miles) of the border, with daily attacks deeper inside Russia almost certain to continue through the year. Osprey assessed that "there is a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes will continue to increase in the short term deep inside Russian territory" and that "miscalculation and/or misidentification is likely in areas related to the Ukraine conflict." Russia responded with threats and denials. Russian President Putin said Zelensky's comments amounted to a "declaration of state terrorism" and that Russia would continue its attacks on Ukraine. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said, "They are asking us to resume negotiations...but you don't negotiate with terrorists." Russian heavy strikes killed 12 people on Tuesday, with further attacks on Odesa, Sumy, and Kyiv on Wednesday, and Russia's military said it is preparing to carry out "massive" strikes on Ukrainian power stations. The Ukrainian capital and its surrounding region came under attack for seven days in a row. Chinese, Turkish, and Gulf state airlines are among those using Russian airspace, with savings in time and fuel on routes between Asia and Europe, according to BBC reporting. Most Western commercial airlines do not fly over Russia as a consequence of the ongoing Russian invasion. Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian aircraft throughout the period since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The warning carries the weight of recent precedent. A few months after war broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, a Russian-made missile brought down a passenger plane, killing all 298 people on board. The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the MH17 disaster. In 2024, Putin apologized to the president of neighboring Azerbaijan over the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace, in which 38 people were killed, saying the "tragic incident" had occurred when Russian air defense systems were repelling Ukrainian drones.