President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned international carriers on 1 September 2026 that high volumes of Ukrainian drones will render Russian airspace unsafe for commercial transit.
Ukraine is working to expand its long-range attacks from a current average of over 300 drones per day to a target of 1,000 daily strikes against targets in Russia.
Zelenskyy confirmed that the United States requested a three-day pause for strikes on Moscow and Saint Petersburg during a visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while another state requested a pause for Vladivostok.
Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled the airspace warning state terrorism at a press conference in Bishkek, while stating that US-mediated peace negotiations remain frozen.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a warning on Tuesday to international airlines operating over Russia, declaring that the country's airspace will become completely unsafe. Zelenskyy explained in an evening video address from Kyiv that Ukrainian forces are not aiming at civilian flights or individual airliners. Instead, the sheer volume of long-range strike drones deployed into Russian airspace will make flight corridors dangerous. He stated that Russian airspace is factually closed, even if authorities in Moscow avoid an official declaration. Several carriers, including airlines from China and Turkey, continue to operate scheduled flights through Russian corridors.
“There will simply be so many drones in Russian airspace that this must be taken into account.”
The warning follows an operational ramp-up by Ukrainian forces, who have defended against the Russian invasion for more than four and a half years. Ukrainian forces have routinely deployed long-range drones against targets deep inside Russian territory, including oil refineries, military infrastructure, and logistics hubs. Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine must maximize its weapon deployments to repel continuing Russian attacks. While Ukraine currently launches an average of more than 300 long-range drone strikes per day, the military command has set an operational objective of deploying up to 1,000 long-range drones daily against Russian territory.
“The task is: 1,000 drones daily for long-range strikes against Russia. Currently we carry out an average of over 300 such long-range strikes, and that must increase.”
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Zelenskyy also confirmed reports regarding international diplomatic requests to pause strikes against specific Russian urban centers. The United States requested a halt to strikes on Moscow and Saint Petersburg for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week. CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled unannounced to Moscow during that three-day window. In addition, an unnamed foreign government requested an operational pause on strikes against Vladivostok, a Pacific port city located more than 6,000 kilometers from Ukraine. Vladivostok is hosting the Eastern Economic Forum from Tuesday to Friday, which includes international guests and scheduled remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin. No Ukrainian strikes have been recorded in the Far Eastern region.
Speaking at a nighttime press conference in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Vladimir Putin described the Ukrainian statements as state terrorism and pledged that Russia would respond. Putin noted that Ukrainian attacks have caused economic disruption inside Russia, though he characterized the damage as non-critical. Addressing the state of diplomacy, Putin stated that talks mediated by the United States remain frozen, while claiming that officials in Kyiv have repeatedly requested meetings to resume negotiations.
“They are asking for personal meetings. But no negotiations are conducted with terrorists.”
Putin noted that diplomatic envoys sent by US President Donald Trump remain welcome to hold discussions in Moscow. When asked during the Bishkek press briefing why the Russian military has not eliminated the political leadership in Kyiv, Putin replied that Ukrainian representatives will still be necessary to conduct formal negotiations in the future.
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Ukraine has warned commercial airlines that Russian skies are factually closed due to expanding long-range drone strikes, prompting Vladimir Putin to denounce the statement as state terrorism during a visit to Kyrgyzstan.
AI text based on reports by Focus, Der Tagesspiegel, DIE WELT and other publishers. Published .