Zelensky Warns Airlines That 'Safe Days in Russia's Skies Are Over' as Drone Disruptions Mount
Why It MattersPersistent drone-related closures at major Russian hubs raise operational risk for the roughly 60 foreign carriers still serving the market, pressuring route continuity and insurance costs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines, insurers and foreign governments that Russian airspace "will be de facto closed" because of Ukrainian drones, saying carriers flying to Moscow, St. Petersburg or other major Russian hubs must factor in the risk. He said "the safe days in Russia's skies are over" and that Ukrainian drones would operate "on a scale that has to be taken into account." Russian President Vladimir Putin described the statement as "state terrorism."
Disruptions to Russian commercial airports from drone and missile attacks have been frequent since Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory began in spring 2022. Between February 2023 and May 2025, Russian airports closed at least 366 times under emergency "Carpet" (Kovyor) protocols, which clear airspace immediately when an unauthorized object or security threat is detected. In one incident, 13 southern airports simultaneously halted operations after a drone struck an air navigation facility in Rostov-on-Don.
The disruptions have heavily affected Moscow's four major commercial airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky — as well as regional airports including Kazan, Saratov and Sochi. Moscow's airports handle between 1,500 and 1,800 flights per day, while St. Petersburg handles 400 to 500 daily. Approximately 60 foreign commercial carriers still fly to Russian airports, including Turkish Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, El Al, Royal Jordanian, Sri Lankan Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Air Serbia, Belavia, Azerbaijan Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways and SCAT Airlines.
The United States, the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and other Western nations banned Russian aircraft from their airspace at the start of the war in February 2022, and Russia responded by closing its airspace to carriers from more than 30 countries, including all EU member states. All of Ukraine's commercial passenger airports have been closed since the war began, and Ukraine's primary presidential aircraft, an Airbus A319, is based at Krakow John Paul II International Airport in Poland.
