# Zelenskyy warns airlines Russian airspace is unsafe

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russian-airspace-becoming-unsafe-for-commercial-airlines-zelenskyy-says/
- Published: 2026-09-02T22:12:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-03T04:14:38+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/02/russian-airspace-unsafe-commercial-airlines-zelenskyy
- Topics: Business, Europe, Government, Politics, Software, Space, Technology, World

## Key points

- Zelenskyy warns airlines Russian airspace is unsafe amid rising drone strikes
- Putin calls the warning "state terrorism", vows mass strikes on Ukraine's energy grid
- Kyiv formally notified UN aviation body; Putin dodges question on striking UK bases

## Summary

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned airlines, insurers and operators still using Russian airports that the country's airspace is becoming "completely unsafe", citing the growing number of Ukrainian attack drones striking deep inside Russian territory. Vladimir Putin responded angrily, calling the warning "state terrorism" and insisting "negotiations are not conducted with terrorists", while confirming Russian forces have been ordered to prepare mass strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this winter to disrupt heating and power supplies.

Ukraine's foreign secretary, Andrii Sybiha, said Kyiv had formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace is unsafe for civilian aviation. Ukraine can already launch a few hundred drones a day and is reportedly working towards a target of 1,000, with strikes reaching over 2,000km into Russia this year, including near Moscow and St Petersburg; analysts suggest this could force periodic but not permanent airport closures. Putin also declined to say whether Russia would strike UK military facilities producing weapons for Ukraine, calling it "a military secret", after accusing Britain of "escalation" over British-made drones allegedly used in long-range Ukrainian strikes.

## Coverage

- [The Guardian: Zelenskyy warns airlines Russian airspace is unsafe](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/02/russian-airspace-unsafe-commercial-airlines-zelenskyy)
- [HuffPost: Zelenskyy Warns Airlines That Russia's Airspace Is Unsafe Due To Ukrainian Drones](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/zelenskyy-russian-airspace_n_6a97e13de4b0f5af041171d3)

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.