Ukraine formally warns ICAO that Russian airspace is unsafe for civilian flights
Ukraine has formally notified the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that Russian airspace is unsafe for civilian aviation because of increased military activity, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Sept. 2.
“We urge everyone to avoid it,” Sybiha wrote on X, saying Russian airspace was becoming increasingly unsafe amid Moscow's escalation of attacks against Ukraine.
Sybiha said Ukraine had notified ICAO, airlines and governments so they could take precautions and prevent unintended incidents.
“The war is returning home to Russia,” he said, adding that Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
The notification follows President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's warning on Sept. 1 that Russian airspace would “effectively be closing” as Ukrainian drone operations increasingly make it unsafe for civilian aviation.
Atlantic journalist Simon Shuster later said one of his original sources had confirmed that Zelenskyy's remarks marked the start of Ukraine's previously reported M&M's operation, which is intended to disrupt civilian air travel in Russia.
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