Zelensky says airlines should avoid Russian airspace as Ukraine escalates drone operations

Ukraine's president has informed airlines that Russian airspace will be "effectively closing" as his country escalates its drone strikes.

Key points

• Last year, the UN aviation agency ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014.
• In 2024, Putin apologised to the president of neighbouring Azerbaijan over the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace, in which 38 individuals were killed.
• Other carriers have largely avoided the eastern European region since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February, 2022.
• Most Western commercial airlines do not fly over Russia as a consequence of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, but carriers in countries such as China do.
• Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin remarked: They are asking us to resume negotiations.

"We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports: the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous, " Volodymyr Zelensky notes.

While adding that Russia would continue its own intensifying attacks on Ukraine, russian President Vladimir Putin responded by saying that Zelensky's comments amounted to a "declaration of state terrorism".

Explaining the elevated airspace risk, Zelensky remarked: 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 remarked in his nightly video address on Tuesday.

According to Zelensky, "the war started by Russia is closing its skies".

He directed the warning to airlines continuing to operate flights to Russian airports, especially in major cities like St Petersburg and Moscow.

Ukraine has targeted energy facilities deep inside Russian territory along with sizeable retailers.

Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions remarked in an alert to clients that while most of Ukraine's drone and missile strikes were probable to occur within 300km (186 miles) of the border, daily attacks deeper inside Russia were almost certain to continue this year.

"There is also a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes will continue to increase in the short term deep inside Russian territory, " the alert continued. "It is assessed that miscalculation and/or misidentification is likely in areas related to the Ukraine conflict."

Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin remarked: "They are asking us to resume negotiations. But you don't negotiate with terrorists."

His comments come as Russia's attacks on Ukraine continue, with heavy strikes killing 12 individuals on Monday. The military has remarked it is preparing to carry out "massive" strikes on Ukrainian power stations.

While insisting that "only 10%" of oil refineries were left to repair, putin additionally acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes had damaged infrastructure inside Russia.

Chinese, Turkish and Gulf state airlines are among those using Russian airspace, with savings in time and fuel on routes between Asia and Europe.

Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian aircraft since the beginning of the war.

All 298 individuals on board the passenger plane were killed when it was shot down by a Russian-made missile. The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the air disaster.

He remarked the "tragic incident" had occurred when Russian air defence systems were repelling Ukrainian drones.

For now, zelensky says airlines should avoid Russian airspace as Ukraine escalates drone operations remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.