Volodymyr Zelensky: "Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe"

With Ukraine’s long-range drone operations reaching deeper into Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky has told foreign airlines still using Russian airspace that overflying Russia now poses a serious risk. About 60 international carriers, largely Chinese and Gulf companies, continue to overfly Russia or land there, while many Western airlines have been barred from that airspace since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Zelensky stressed that Ukraine is not targeting civilian aircraft, but that Russian air defenses firing during drone attacks create a hazard. After several nights of drone interceptions, Moscow-area airports and others imposed temporary limits, and a Russian news outlet reported 27 foreign carriers quickly canceled flights to Moscow, mostly citing operational reasons. Ukraine has asked the UN’s aviation agency to declare Russian skies dangerous; Moscow says the warning has no legal validity and has accused Kyiv of terrorism.