Moscow, Aug 2026 : Russia has rejected Ukraine’s warning about the safety of Russian airspace, dismissing Kyiv’s notification describing the country’s airspace as unsafe for civilian aircraft. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the Ukrainian notice distorted facts, could mislead airlines and other users of Russian airspace, and had no legal validity.
In a statement published on its official website on Friday, the ministry said Russia had lodged a strong protest against what it described as Ukraine’s reckless “terrorist activities” that violate international law. Moscow also accused the Ukrainian side of making statements that could pose a direct threat to civil aviation.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, relevant Russian officials are in contact with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over the matter. The ministry said Russia’s authorities had also sent an urgent appeal to the ICAO Secretary General, seeking attention to what Moscow described as the potential risks created by Ukraine’s statements.
“Russia is fully committed to ensuring the safety of civil aviation,” the ministry said, reiterating that Moscow considers the Ukrainian warning misleading and without legal force.
The dispute follows comments by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week. On Tuesday, Zelensky warned international airlines that Russian airspace was becoming “completely unsafe” as Ukraine responded to what he described as an increase in Russian missile and drone attacks.
Kyiv’s warning comes against the backdrop of intensifying aerial warfare between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides reporting frequent drone strikes targeting territory and infrastructure.
Russian authorities on Thursday said Ukrainian forces had carried out hundreds of drone and artillery attacks on the Belgorod and Moscow regions, resulting in one civilian death and 21 injuries.
Belgorod Acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev said the region had come under 178 attacks over a 24-hour period, involving artillery fire and drone strikes. He said the attacks resulted in one civilian death.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, meanwhile, said Russian air-defence systems had intercepted 548 drones targeting the Moscow region between Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. The reported scale of the attacks underscored the continuing intensity of drone warfare between the two countries.
A separate drone strike also triggered a fire at an industrial plant in the Bogorodsky district of the Moscow region, regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said. Emergency crews were deployed to the site to deal with the incident.
The latest exchange comes as diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict remain stalled. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said negotiations over Ukraine had effectively stopped. He also dismissed reports that Moscow was preparing for a fresh mobilisation following the State Duma elections, describing such claims as “nonsense.”
Putin said Russia remained supportive of negotiations based on substantive issues and would welcome initiatives capable of making a practical contribution towards ending the conflict.
He said Moscow wanted to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace in Ukraine and across Europe and remained prepared to negotiate with anyone willing to participate. Putin also said Russia respected the positions of countries advocating a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The latest dispute over airspace safety adds to tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, while concerns over drone and missile attacks continue to complicate civilian aviation and broader international efforts to reduce the risks associated with the ongoing conflict.
