Turkish airlines cancel Moscow flights after Zelenskyy's warning over Russian airspace
Several flights between Moscow and Turkey were canceled overnight after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned international airlines that Russian airspace was becoming unsafe amid Ukrainian drone operations.
Turkish carrier Pegasus canceled a flight from Bodrum to Moscow scheduled shortly after midnight on Sept. 2, Meduza reported, citing Russian Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti.
Passengers said they were told that Turkish airlines were canceling flights because of the “situation with the airspace.”
Pegasus later said on Facebook that flights to Russia scheduled for the night of Sept. 2 had been canceled for “technical reasons” and that services would resume according to schedule later in the day.
Several Pegasus departures from Moscow's Vnukovo Airport were also listed as canceled, including flights to Istanbul, Bodrum and Dalaman.
At least two Turkish Airlines flights to Istanbul were canceled overnight or in the morning, while later flights remained scheduled, according to flight information cited by Meduza. Flights operated by Nesma Airlines to Sharm el-Sheikh and Shirak Avia to Yerevan were also canceled.
Flight restrictions were imposed at Vnukovo overnight for safety reasons.
The cancellations came hours after Zelenskyy warned airlines and insurers that “Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe” and said Ukrainian drones would increasingly operate over Russia.
Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster later said one of his original sources had confirmed that Zelenskyy's statement marked the start of Ukraine's previously reported M&M's operation, which is intended to disrupt civilian air travel in Russia.
Read more about Operation M&M's and Zelenskyy's warning here.