Following almost a week of relentless Russian attacks on Kyiv and non-stop air raid alerts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a stark warning to international airlines and insurers: "Russian airspace will effectively be closing."
In his evening address on 1 September, Zelenskyy said the consequences of the war Moscow launched more than four years ago could no longer be confined to Ukrainian territory and that Kyiv's ever-growing drone operations would soon render Russian airspace unsafe.
“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.”
His warning was directed not only at Moscow but at airlines, insurers and foreign governments whose carriers 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.
