Ukraine has notified ICAO of flight safety threats over Russia
The Ministry of Transport of Ukraine has sent a letter to ICAO calling for a boycott of flights over Russia amid massive flight delays at Russian airports.
Ukraine has notified ICAO of flight safety threats over Russia
Ukraine's Minister of Infrastructure Mykola Kalashnyk has sent a letter to the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Juan Carlos Salazar Gómez, warning of the dangers of flying over Russian territory.
The Ukrainian side urged the aviation authorities and airlines of the organization's member states to take additional safety measures, including completely avoiding flights over Russian territory.
In the letter, Kalashnyk pointed out that Ukraine is acting within its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and noted that against the backdrop of escalation, the presence of civil aircraft in Russian airspace could be associated with increased risks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that the notification had been sent to ICAO and urged that the use of Russian airspace be avoided, stating that Kyiv is informing ICAO, airlines, and governments of the need to exercise caution and aims to prevent unintended incidents.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously declared his intention to "close the sky" over Russia and warned airlines of a potential increase in flight risks, noting that the use of drones in Russian airspace would continue.
In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin called these statements a "bid for state terrorism." Russia's Minister of Transport stated that Russian aviation services would not allow significant disruptions in the operation of civil aviation.
On the night of September 2, massive flight delays and cancellations occurred at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo airports — at least 77 delayed or canceled flights were reported: 40 at Sheremetyevo, 20 at Domodedovo, and 17 at Vnukovo.
At Domodedovo, a flight from Antalya was rescheduled for the following day; at Sheremetyevo, a flight to Sochi was delayed by almost six hours; and at Vnukovo, flights to Sochi and Sharm El Sheikh were delayed by approximately six hours.
The Turkish airline Pegasus also canceled flights: passengers in Bodrum waited more than 10 hours for departure, after which they were informed that the Turkish side had banned departures due to the airspace situation.
Meanwhile, Uzbek airlines Uzbekistan Airways and Centrum Air continue to operate flights to Russia as scheduled.
Aleksey Zhuravlyov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, accused Zelenskyy of threatening the civilian population, stating that citizens of various countries could be on board a civil aircraft in Russian airspace or at an airport.
Zhuravlyov also called for the elimination of the Ukrainian president and stated the need to use any means to stop preparations for the alleged attacks, mentioning, among other things, the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons.