‘Drone-infested skies are no place for civilian aviation’: Zelensky tells airlines still flying into Moscow to get out, days after ordering 1,000 drone attacks a day
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines that Russian airspace is becoming unsafe because “there will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account.”
“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,” Zelensky said in his evening video address.
Zelensky said that Ukraine “does not threaten civilian aviation as such,” but that Ukrainian drone attacks mean “Russian airspace will effectively be closing”:
We in Ukraine do not want innocent lives to be lost. That is why we are warning our partners: the safe days in Russia’s skies are over. It is important that this is heard by the ambassadors of countries represented here in Ukraine, as well as by ambassadors working in Moscow. Every one of them knows exactly what Russia’s war means for our country and our people, and they must convey this information to their capitals.
It is important that the airlines currently flying to airports primarily in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other key destinations in Russia hear this as well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and our other institutions will provide international organizations with full information about the dangers in Russian airspace. Drone-infested skies are no place for civilian aviation.
Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 28 that he had ordered Ukrainian troops to launch 1,000 drones a day at Russia. “Today I held a meeting of the Staff. The key thing is to maximize production of our weapons to defend against Russian strikes on Ukraine. […] The task is 1,000 drones for long-range sanctions a day against Russia,” he said.
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