Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks at the funeral of Col. Evhen Konovalets in Kiev, Ukraine, on August 18, 2026.
Diego Fedele | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Kiev expands its drone operations.
“I want to warn all airlines that use Russian airspace, all insurance companies and everyone who still uses Russia’s main airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe,” President Zelenskiy said in a speech Tuesday night.
His warning comes as Ukraine steps up long-range drone attacks on Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs in an effort to increase Moscow’s war spending.
The President of Ukraine said it is important for airlines currently serving airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other major Russian destinations to be aware of increased airspace risks.
President Zelenskiy insisted that civil aviation would not be at risk, adding: “Russian skies will only have drones of a considerable size.”
Due to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, most Western commercial airlines are not operating in Russian airspace.
However, some Chinese and Gulf state airlines, including those of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, continue to use Russian airspace.
In response to Zelensky’s comments, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the threat amounted to a declaration of “state terrorism.” He added that the Kremlin will continue to step up its own attacks against Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, Putin also rejected the idea of resuming negotiations, saying: “We will not negotiate with terrorists.”
“Massive strike”
After Russia launched a full-scale invasion, Ukraine banned commercial air traffic.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and other agencies will provide international organizations with complete information about the dangers of Russian airspace. Drone-infested skies have no place for civil aviation,” President Zelensky said.
Earlier this week, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that it was planning a “large-scale attack” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, again fueling fears of a winter attack.
The Russian military is stepping up missile attacks on Ukrainian cities as Kiev faces a shortage of air defense equipment.
