Zelenskyy says airlines should avoid Russian airspace as Ukraine expands drone operations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Kyiv expands its drone operations.
"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," Zelenskyy said Tuesday in his evening address.
His warning follows Ukraine stepping up its long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs, as it seeks to raise the cost of the war for Moscow. Ukraine's president said it is important that airlines currently flying into airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other key destinations in Russia take note of the elevated airspace risk.
Zelenskyy insisted that civilian aviation would not be in danger, before adding: "There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account." Most Western commercial airlines do not fly into Russian airspace due to Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Some Chinese and Gulf state carriers, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, continue to use Russian airspace, however. In response to Zelenskyy's comments, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the threat amounted to a declaration of "state terrorism." He added that the Kremlin would continue intensifying its own attacks on Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, Putin also dismissed the idea of resuming negotiations, saying: "You don't negotiate with terrorists." 'Massive strikes' Ukraine closed its airspace to civilian aircraft after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and our other institutions will provide international organizations with full information about the dangers in Russian airspace. Drone-infested skies are no place for civilian aviation," Zelenskyy said.
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