KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned airlines and insurers that Russian airspace could become increasingly dangerous as Kyiv intensifies its drone operations against targets inside Russia.
In a video address on Tuesday, Zelensky urged airlines still operating through Russian airspace and using Russian airports to reassess the risks, saying the number of drones over Russian territory would increase significantly.
He stressed that Ukraine was not targeting civilian aircraft. However, he said the growing scale of drone operations meant airlines would have to account for the heightened danger.
Zelensky specifically called on carriers flying to major Russian cities, including Moscow and St Petersburg, to take the warning seriously.
Most Western airlines have avoided Russian airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, airlines from China, Türkiye and several Gulf countries continue to use some Russian routes, particularly on flights between Asia and Europe, where avoiding the airspace can add considerable time and fuel costs.
Aviation security company Osprey Flight Solutions has also warned that Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia are likely to continue. The company said most strikes would probably occur within about 300 kilometres of Ukraine’s border, but deeper attacks could become more frequent.
It warned that the increased activity could create a greater risk of misidentification or miscalculation in areas affected by the conflict.
Russia has strongly criticised Zelensky’s warning. President Vladimir Putin described the comments as a declaration of “state terrorism” and said Moscow would continue its military operations against Ukraine.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin also rejected calls for renewed negotiations, arguing that Russia would not negotiate with what he described as terrorists.
Russia has continued heavy attacks on Ukrainian targets, with strikes on Monday reportedly killing 12 people. Russian authorities have also indicated preparations for further attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
At the same time, Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes had caused damage to infrastructure inside Russia. He claimed that around 10% of the country’s oil-refining capacity remained in need of repairs.
The dispute over Russian airspace comes against a wider backdrop of aviation risks linked to the war. Ukraine has kept its own airspace closed to civilian aviation since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The region has previously witnessed major commercial aviation tragedies. In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard. A UN aviation body later held Russia responsible, although Moscow has consistently denied responsibility.
