‘The Independent’: Closing Russian airspace could push Putin toward talks
Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
Analysis
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Ongoing story
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Ukraine’s drone attacks could make Russian airspace effectively unusable, while saying civilian aircraft would not be targets.
- Analyst Katia Glod said disruptions to flights could hurt Russia’s economy and affect interests close to Vladimir Putin.
- She said those pressures could eventually encourage Putin’s allies to push for negotiations, while warning that the attacks also concern Europe and NATO.
Ukraine’s warning that Russia’s skies could effectively close is being presented as more than a threat to airlines. Analysts say it could become an economic pressure point that reaches Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.
Russia’s skies will have a lot of drones in them, and this will have to be taken into account. Although the Russian authorities are not properly reporting it, Russia’s airspace will in fact be closing: the war started by Russia is closing its own skies.
“Russia’s skies will have a lot of drones in them, and this will have to be taken into account. Although the Russian authorities are not properly reporting it, Russia’s airspace will in fact be closing: the war started by Russia is closing its own skies,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Putin responded that the remarks amounted to “a declaration of state terrorism.”
Zelenskyy stressed that civilian aircraft would not be targets. But analysts said his warning could alarm airlines that continue to fly to Russian airports. The carriers maintaining routes during the war include Emirates, Air China, Turkish Airlines, Flydubai, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, with connections to Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
A declaration of state terrorism.
Katia Glod, deputy head of the foreign policy department at the New Eurasian Strategies centre, said Zelenskyy was partly exaggerating because a Russian closure would not compare with the closure of Ukrainian airspace. She said he was sending a message to airlines using Russian skies as Ukrainian drone strikes increase. “If reaching Moscow by air becomes difficult, that will have significant financial consequences,” Glod said.
If reaching Moscow by air becomes difficult, that will have significant financial consequences.
Glod said Putin had long shielded Russians from the direct effects of the war, but attacks inside Russia are increasingly affecting the population. She described Putin as stubborn and rarely guided by government advice, while saying he understands the views of people around him. “If this harms their interests, oligarchs close to Putin may eventually encourage him to begin negotiations to end the war,” she said. She added that the attacks also worry Europe, even as NATO welcomes Ukraine’s ability to damage Russia.
If this harms their interests, oligarchs close to Putin may eventually encourage him to begin negotiations to end the war.
About this summary
Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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