Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a stark warning to airlines, insurers and passengers: Russian airspace will be “completely unsafe” and increasingly crowded with Ukrainian drones for as long as the war continues.
“Today, we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe,” he said in his nightly address.
- Advertisement -
“Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such – not a single civilian aircraft. There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the remarks, calling them “a declaration of state terrorism”.
Mr Putin also said Moscow was ready for “concrete” discussions aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict, provided new momentum could be generated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was speaking at a press conference in Kyrgyzstan
Speaking to reporters after a summit in Kyrgyzstan, Mr Putin repeated his belief that Russian forces would ultimately prevail in Ukraine and that Kyiv’s military would “crumble”.
More than four years after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, both sides have stepped up their attacks, sending tensions higher across the region.
At least 12 people were killed yesterday in Kyiv and the surrounding region in a new wave of overnight Russian strikes.
Ukrainian drone activity has also increasingly disrupted air traffic at Russian airports, with the number of reported incursions rising in recent months.
“We in Ukraine do not want innocent lives to be lost. That is why we are warning our partners: the safe days in Russia’s skies are over,” Mr Zelensky said.
“Drone-infested skies are no place for civilian aviation,” he added. “The sky over Russia is currently for drones as long as the war continues.”
He said Ukraine would nevertheless withdraw its drones from Russian airspace at the request of its partners, “for the sake of diplomacy, for the sake of negotiations, for specific periods of time and in specific destinations”.
US-mediated diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled since war erupted in the Middle East in February.
