Ukraine has urged the global aviation regulator to support a ban on civilian flights through Russian airspace, bringing fresh scrutiny to 46 nonstop routes connecting Russia with six African countries.
The warning followed an expansion of Ukrainian drone operations inside Russia, which have caused temporary airport closures, flight delays and cancellations.
Ukraine formally asked the International Civil Aviation Organization to encourage its member states to stop airlines from using Russian airspace, Reuters reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine was not targeting passenger aircraft. His government argued, however, that the combination of military activity, air-defence operations and increasingly long-range drone attacks had made Russian skies unsafe for commercial aviation.
Russia rejected the warning. Moscow said it was capable of protecting civilian aircraft and accused Ukraine of attempting to frighten airlines and disrupt international travel.
