Volodymyr Zelensky warns airlines and insurers: "the war started by Russia is closing its own skies"

Amid intensified Russian air assaults on Kyiv and other urban centers, Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines and insurers that Ukrainian drones were making Russian airspace unsafe, and said civilian aviation was not his target. Kyiv’s foreign minister said Ukraine had formally alerted the International Civil Aviation Organization to that danger. Moscow dismissed the claim as legally baseless, with its aviation agency saying operations remained normal and a transport official promising no major disruption. Flightradar24 data Wednesday showed many cancellations and delays at major Moscow airports; flydubai and Pegasus canceled or altered some Russia flights without giving full explanations. The warning matters because airlines from China, Gulf states, and Turkey still use Russian airspace, unlike U.S. and European carriers, and insurers may reassess risks.