KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned airlines operating through Russian airspace that the region is becoming increasingly dangerous as Ukraine intensifies its drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.
Zelensky said airlines, insurers and carriers continuing to use Russian airports should take the growing Russian airspace risk seriously, warning that drones would increasingly be present across Russian skies.
“We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. He added that Russia’s airspace was becoming “completely dangerous.”
Most Western commercial airlines have avoided Russian airspace since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, airlines from countries including China, Turkey and several Gulf states continue to use routes over Russia because they can reduce flight times and fuel costs on connections between Europe and Asia.
Zelensky Warns of Growing Russian Airspace Risk
Zelensky stressed that Ukraine was not seeking to target civilian aircraft but said the growing number of drones operating over Russia would create a significant aviation risk.
“Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such – not a single civilian aircraft,” he said, while warning that drones would appear in Russian skies “on a scale that has to be taken into account.”
He directed his warning particularly at airlines that continue to operate flights to major Russian airports, including those serving Moscow and St Petersburg.
Aviation risk advisory firm Osprey Flight Solutions said most Ukrainian drone and missile strikes were likely to take place within about 300km (186 miles) of the Russian-Ukrainian border. However, the company warned that deeper strikes inside Russia were also expected to continue.
The advisory said there was a realistic possibility that the frequency of Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russian territory could increase in the short term. It also warned that miscalculation or misidentification could become a significant concern in areas affected by the conflict.
Putin Accuses Ukraine of State Terrorism
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded sharply to Zelensky’s warning, describing the comments as a “declaration of state terrorism.”
Speaking to reporters at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said Russia would continue its own attacks against Ukraine and rejected calls for negotiations while accusing Kyiv of terrorism.
His comments came as Russian forces continued heavy strikes against Ukraine. Recent attacks have killed civilians, while Russian military authorities have also indicated preparations for further large-scale strikes against Ukrainian power infrastructure.
Putin acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks had damaged infrastructure inside Russia, although he claimed that only about 10% of the country’s oil refineries remained in need of repairs.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian energy infrastructure and other facilities far from the front line as part of its campaign to disrupt Russia’s war effort.
Airline Safety Concerns Grow Over Russian Airspace
The latest warnings have renewed concerns about the safety of commercial aviation over Russia, particularly as Ukrainian drone operations expand deeper into Russian territory.
Ukraine has kept its own airspace closed to civilian aviation since the beginning of the full-scale war. Meanwhile, many international carriers have avoided Russian routes, although airlines from China, Turkey and Gulf countries continue to fly through parts of Russian airspace.
Aviation safety concerns have a long history in the region. In 2025, the UN aviation agency ruled that Russia was responsible for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine. All 298 people aboard the aircraft were killed after it was struck by a Russian-made missile. Russia has consistently denied responsibility.
In another incident in 2024, Putin apologised to Azerbaijan’s president over the downing of a commercial aircraft in Russian airspace that killed 38 people. Putin said the “tragic incident” occurred while Russian air-defence systems were responding to Ukrainian drones.
As Ukraine expands its long-range drone campaign and Russia prepares further attacks, airlines operating over or into Russia face heightened Russian airspace risk, potentially forcing carriers and insurers to reassess existing flight routes and safety measures.
