Ukraine tells UN watchdog Russian airspace unsafe

Ukraine said Wednesday it had formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace was not safe, following repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian territory.

The ICAO, a United Nations agency that regulates and sets standards for civil aviation, made no immediate public comment. Russia's aviation watchdog called Ukraine's warnings illegitimate and “invalid.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on X that Russian airspace was becoming “increasingly unsafe” against the backdrop of what he called Russia's escalation against Ukraine. He urged people to avoid it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Tuesday that Ukraine's military drones would make Russian airspace “completely unsafe” for the duration of the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin described Zelensky's comments as “a declaration of state terrorism.”

Since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has launched retaliatory drone strikes on targets inside Russia, including energy and military infrastructure hundreds of kilometres from the front line. Moscow has also launched repeated drone and missile barrages at Ukrainian towns and cities.

Russia's aviation watchdog regularly closes airports in response to Ukrainian drone strikes. In 2024, Russian air defences accidentally downed an Azerbaijani passenger jet during what Moscow said was a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukraine's airspace has been closed to civilian traffic since Russia's invasion.