Ukraine officially tells ICAO that Russian airspace is ‘unsafe’

Ukraine has formally warned the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace is no longer safe, citing a sharp increase in military activity and Ukrainian drone flights.

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Russian airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiga said the warning followed what he described as a drastic escalation of Russia’s “terror” against Ukraine. “Russian airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous,” Sybiga wrote on X, urging everyone to avoid it.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had issued a similar warning the previous day, saying the Russian skies had become “extremely dangerous” because of Ukrainian drones. “Ukraine does not want innocent lives to be lost,” Zelenskyy said. He added that although civil aviation was not itself being targeted, it had “no place in a sky infested with drones.” Zelenskyy described the warning as a “just” response to what he called Russia’s desire to prolong the war and its “terror against civilians.”

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We urge everyone to avoid it.

Russia rejected the Ukrainian notification. The country’s civil aviation authority called the warnings illegitimate and “invalid,” while President Vladimir Putin described them as a “declaration of state terrorism.” Speaking to Russian media after a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, Putin said Russia would know how to respond if such tragedies occurred.

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Ukraine does not want innocent lives to be lost. That is why we warn our partners: the days of safe skies in Russia are over.

Ukraine and Russia have intensified their strikes in recent months, with civilian casualties rising more than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Logistics warehouses, energy facilities, oil sites and ports have repeatedly come under attack. Ukrainian drone flights have also caused frequent interruptions to air traffic at major Russian airports. Ukraine’s own airspace has remained completely closed since the 2022 invasion. The International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, called on its members to protect civil aircraft.

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If such tragedies occur, we will know how to respond.