Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a stark warning to international airlines, insurers, and foreign governments: Russian airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous for civilian aircraft. In his evening address on 1 September, he said the consequences of the war Moscow launched more than four years ago can no longer be contained within Ukraine's borders.
“It was from Russia that the first missiles and the first drones came, and they crossed our country’s border from Russian airspace,” Zelenskyy said. “This escalation cannot and will not remain confined to Ukrainian territory.”
The warning was directed not only at Moscow but at the many carriers that continue to fly through Russian airspace and serve airports in Moscow, St Petersburg, and other major cities. “Today, 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,” he said.
Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine has no intention of targeting civilian aircraft. “Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such - not a single civilian aircraft,” he said. “There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account.” He added: “Russian airspace will effectively be closing — the war started by Russia is closing its skies.”
Escalation beyond Ukraine's borders
Ukraine’s own airspace has been closed to civilian aviation since 24 February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Russian civilian aviation, by contrast, has continued operating throughout the war, despite frequent disruptions and temporary airport closures during Ukrainian drone attacks.
Kyiv’s long-range operations have targeted military facilities and infrastructure that support Moscow’s war effort, including airfields, missile units, oil refineries, and other energy sites. Zelenskyy made clear that this strategy will not change, while insisting that Ukraine does not want innocent lives to be lost. “We are warning our partners: the safe days in Russia’s skies are over,” he said, calling on foreign ambassadors in both Kyiv and Moscow to relay the message to their governments.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry and other government agencies will provide international organisations with full information about the dangers in Russian airspace, he added.
Relentless attacks on Kyiv
Zelenskyy’s warning comes after almost a week of sustained Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, with Moscow increasingly relying on jet-powered drones launched in repeated waves both day and night. Kyiv and its surrounding region have been among the main targets, with repeated air-raid alerts disrupting transport, businesses, and daily life across the capital.
The attacks point to a shift in Russian tactics. Rather than concentrating its largest attacks in massive overnight barrages of drones and missiles, Moscow has increasingly sent smaller waves of drones at intervals throughout the day, prolonging air-raid alerts and placing sustained pressure on Ukrainian air defences. Officials in Kyiv said Russia was increasingly deploying jet-powered drones alongside ballistic missiles, presenting Ukrainian defences with a particularly difficult challenge.
Zelenskyy’s message is now that Russia can no longer expect the air war it has waged over Ukraine to stop at its own border. The warning also resonates beyond the immediate conflict, as European leaders have been grappling with the broader implications of Russian aggression. The EU has recently assembled an expert panel to close defence gaps amid the ongoing threat, and Sweden has urged the EU to tap frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Meanwhile, Baltic states have pushed back on fears of an imminent Russian attack, even as recent strikes on Kyiv have killed civilians.
For now, the skies over Russia remain open to international carriers, but Zelenskyy’s warning suggests that could change sooner than many expect. The coming weeks will show whether airlines and insurers heed the message and adjust their operations accordingly.
