On Wednesday, September 2, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced this on the social network “X”.
Read more Moscow and Kyiv threaten to increase stakes, two Ukrainian civilians killed in Russian strikes
The minister explained that Russian airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous due to the “suddenly escalating Russian terror against Ukraine”.
“Russia deliberately ignores the threats arising from its aggression against Ukraine, which over the past few years has already caused several incidents,” A. Sybiha recalled.
They want airlines to know the risks
He emphasized that the decision to warn ICAO was made to ensure that all airlines and governments are aware of the potential risks – even if Russia refuses to fulfill its obligation to inform them.
“We want to prevent accidental incidents,” A. Sybiha summarized.
The portal ZN.ua reported that Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Mykola Kalashnyk urged ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar to completely ban civil aviation flights over Russia.
Read more Student holidays – not for everyone at the same time: why was this decided?
The letter published by the portal from M. Kalashnyk reminds that Ukraine closed its airspace at the very beginning of the large-scale invasion – on the night of February 24, 2022. However, Russia has ignored the risks all this time, which, according to the minister, led to a series of aviation disasters:
- The shooting down of an “Azerbaijan Airlines” plane by the Russian S-300 air defense system in 2024 (the plane crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan);
- The same system’s strike on a business class “Embraer Legacy 600” plane in 2023 in Russia’s Tver region;
- The shooting down of a light “Alto NG” plane by the “Tor” anti-aircraft defense system near the Russian city of Kolomna in March 2026.
Attention also drawn to the Baltic countries
“The aggressive use of electronic warfare means and GPS signal jamming over the Baltic countries and Russia has already affected tens of thousands of ‘Ryanair’, ‘Wizz Air’ and ‘Finnair’ flights, thus creating conditions for navigational incidents,” wrote M. Kalashnyk.
On September 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian airspace is becoming dangerous for airlines, insurers, and other participants in international aviation transport. He promised that Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other institutions “will provide international organizations with all information about the dangers in Russian skies”.
