Ukraine formally warns airlines that Russian airspace is unsafe

Ukraine has formally informed the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that Russia's airspace is unsafe for civilian traffic, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday.

“Ukraine has officially notified ICAO that the Russian airspace is not safe for civilian aviation because of increased military activity. We urge everyone to avoid it,” Sybiha said on X.

He said Russia had been “deliberately ignoring the existing threats” created by its all-out war against Ukraine, arguing that the risks had already resulted in several aviation incidents in recent years.

“This is our responsible decision to notify ICAO and all airlines, and governments to take caution — even if Russia refuses to fulfill its responsibility to inform them. We want to prevent unintended incidents,” Sybiha said.

The formal notification came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned airlines, insurers and businesses using Russian main airports that the country’s airspace is now becoming increasingly dangerous as Kyiv expands its long-range drone operations.

“Today we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports: Russian skies are becoming completely dangerous,” Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.

Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation, Zelenskyy insisted, while warning that the growing scale of Ukrainian drone operations inside Russia meant the risks could no longer be ignored.

He said Russian airspace would “effectively be closing” as the consequences of Moscow’s war increasingly returned to Russian territory.

Few hours after Zelenskyy’s statement, a few flights between Turkey and Moscow were disrupted overnight.

Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines cancelled 12 flights to and from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport overnight on Wednesday, according to airport data.

A Pegasus flight from Antalya to Moscow was also diverted because of security concerns in Russian airspace, according to Turkish media reports.

Turkish Airlines, the country's flagship carrier, mostly kept its Moscow services running, although it cancelled two departures and two arrivals from and to Istanbul.

Ukraine’s 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 increasingly frequent disruptions and temporary airport closures during Ukrainian drone attacks.

Despite the risks, Russian airspace still carries significant international passenger traffic.

European and US carriers stopped flying over Russia following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Major airlines including Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Air India, Etihad and Qatar Airways, as well as several Chinese carriers, continue to fly to or through the country.