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Zelensky’s drone warning
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sept. 1 that “There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account,” warning airlines that use Russian airspace against flying over the country.
“There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account”
In his evening address on Sept. 2, Zelenskyy said “We have received information that the first airlines began to refuse flights to Russian airports after our announcement about the drone danger,” and he added that Ukraine had informed international organizations and partners about the “true state of Russian skies.”
The Kyiv Independent reported that Zelenskyy’s announcement came as both sides sought other ways to increase pressure in the absence of meaningful changes on the front lines, with Russia escalating drone and missile strikes particularly on Kyiv.
The same report said Ukraine’s approach builds on Operation Carpet, launched in the spring of last year by the Security Service (SBU) to disrupt Russian airport operations by deliberately flying drones over them.
The Kyiv Independent also said Ukrainian drones forced “at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia from Jan. 1, 2025,” citing data from Russia’s state aviation agency Rosaviatsiya, and it described three nights of raids before Russia’s Victory Day on May 9, 2025, as disrupting travel plans for at least 60,000 passengers.
Putin rejects ‘terrorism’
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of “state terrorism” after Zelenskyy’s warning, and he said Moscow could not negotiate with terrorists.
In a televised news conference, Putin said, “You don't negotiate with terrorists,” as the Kyiv Independent described Zelenskyy’s plan as a transition toward a strategic aviation blockade.
The Kyiv Independent quoted Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha saying Ukraine had informed the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that “Russian airspace is not safe for civilian aviation because of increased military activity.”
Serhii Bratchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Defense Army's Southern Division, told the Kyiv Independent that the new operation “is not just a continuation of the spring campaign, it is a transition to a strategic aviation blockade of the Russian Federation.”
The Kyiv Independent also said Kyiv endured its seventh consecutive day of Russian drone attacks on Sept. 2, with a university, medical facility, and high-rise apartment building all being damaged.
Airlines, insurers, and risk
Zelenskyy’s warning was directed at airlines, insurers, and “everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports,” with Al Jazeera saying he warned that Russian airspace is becoming “completely unsafe.”
“Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe”
Al Jazeera quoted Zelenskyy saying, “Ukraine does not threaten civilian aviation as such – not a single civilian aircraft,” while also adding that “There will simply be drones in Russia’s skies on a scale that has to be taken into account.”
The Kyiv Independent said Ukraine’s language around the latest announcement hinted at something “much more ambitious,” describing Bratchuk’s claim that Ukraine is “significantly increasing” production of drones to launch numbers needed to “paralyze the work of key airfields in central Russia on a permanent basis.”
Al Jazeera reported that Mark Brace, head of analysis at Osprey Flight Solutions, said Ukraine has launched “more than 500 drones near daily,” and it described his account that this has caused frequent and extended airport closures and flight suspensions.
The Moscow Times reported that Russian transportation authorities vowed to prevent disruptions to domestic air travel after Zelenskyy’s warning, quoting Transportation Minister Andrei Nikitin saying civil aviation authorities are “constantly improving flight safety and airport security requirements.”