Zelensky Warns That Russia Is Among Most Dangerous Countries for Airlines Amid Drone Escalation
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that escalating Ukrainian drone operations have made Russian airspace effectively closed and dangerous for civilian airlines, placing Russia among most dangerous countries for air travel.
Zelensky's Warning on Russian Airspace
Zelensky stated in his nightly video address that the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous. [3] He warned every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses key Russian airports that the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous. [4] Zelensky added that Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such and not a single civilian aircraft, but there will be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account. [4] He said the war started by Russia is closing its own skies and that Russian airspace will effectively be closing. [5] Zelensky directed the warning to airlines continuing to operate flights to Russian airports, especially in major cities like St Petersburg and Moscow. [4]
Putin's Response and Acknowledgment of Damage
Putin acknowledges Ukrainian strikes impact on Russian shipping and GDP. — Source: ukrainskapravda Russian President Vladimir Putin called Zelensky's warning a declaration of state terrorism and said Russia would continue its own intensifying attacks on Ukraine. [4] Putin stated that Ukraine's armed forces have damaged approximately 100 commercial vessels over the past 40 days in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, with losses estimated at 1 percent of Russia's GDP. [2] Putin assured journalists that the total losses amounted to approximately 1 percent of GDP but these are not critical losses for Russia. [2] He said they cannot inflict critical damage but there is damage nonetheless and that during the first two weeks they damaged around 40 of our ships while over all these 40 days they damaged around 100 of our ships. [2]
Impact on Russian Shipping and Exports
Ukrainian strikes have sharply reduced Russian oil and grain exports via the Black Sea. [2] Exports of crude Russian oil from Black Sea ports decreased 3.2-fold to approximately 1.7 million tonnes in August compared with 5.5 million tonnes in July. [2] Russian grain exports have been virtually completely paralysed by Ukrainian strikes on the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea ports. [2] Russian grain exporters have begun redirecting shipments from the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the Baltic Sea following Ukrainian attacks on port infrastructure and vessels. [2] Russian shipowners have reportedly been refused military risk insurance amid the significant number of Ukrainian drone attacks in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. [2] At Russian ports in the Sea of Azov, vessels have begun returning cargo to shore due to the blockage of exit routes. [2]
Situation in Kharkiv Oblast
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers address warning of dangerous Russian airspace for airlines. — Source: france24 Ukrainian forces refuted Russian claims that forces had captured Kozacha Lopan in Kharkiv Oblast. [1] The Ukrainian military stated that the latest claims by Russian propagandists and Putin personally about the capture of Kozacha Lopan in Kharkiv Oblast are untrue and the settlement remains under the control of Ukraine's defence forces. [1] The 14th Army Corps noted that the situation around the village remains tense with active combat operations ongoing. [1] The corps reported that 178 Russian soldiers have been killed and 210 wounded since active combat operations began in the Kozacha Lopan area. [1] Ukraine's defence forces remain in control of the situation on this front. [1] The sophisticated Code 9.2 drone unit took part in clearing Russian forces from the area by blocking Russian logistics routes in Belgorod Oblast and destroying a dam and bridges. [1]
Broader Context of Drone and Air Operations
Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions said in an alert that while the majority of Ukraine's drone and missile strikes were likely to occur within 300km of the border, daily attacks deeper inside Russia were almost certain to continue this year. [4] There is also a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes will continue to increase in the short term deep inside Russian territory. [4] 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. [4] Chinese, Turkish and Gulf state airlines are among those using Russian airspace with savings in time and fuel on routes between Asia and Europe. [4] Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian aircraft since the beginning of the war. [4]
Aviation Risk Assessments and Historical Incidents
The UN aviation agency ruled that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, killing all 298 people on board. [4] In 2024 Putin apologised to the president of neighbouring Azerbaijan over the downing of a commercial airliner in Russian airspace in which 38 people were killed, saying the tragic incident had occurred when Russian air defence systems were repelling Ukrainian drones. [4] Russian authorities are not properly announcing that Russian airspace will effectively be closing. [5] Russia has stepped up its air attacks on Kyiv and other cities in recent weeks with Moscow's latest strike killing 12 people and injuring many more. [5]
What to watch next: Putin said they are asking Russia to resume negotiations but you don't negotiate with terrorists, while the Russian military has said it is preparing to carry out massive strikes on Ukrainian power stations. [4]
