Russia plans to more than double its no-fly zones to 818

Russia's Transport Ministry aims to more than double the number of no-fly zones across the nation from 374 to 818, according to a report by Kommersant on August 14. These restrictions would encompass all aircraft types, including drones, and cover essential industrial, energy, and transportation infrastructure. The proposed draft order, titled "On the Establishment of No-Fly Zones," lists 818 zones across Russia's 14 Unified Air Traffic Management System regions, ranging from St. Petersburg and Moscow to Magadan and Yakutia.

The present version, implemented in 2022, includes 374 no-fly zones. The Transport Ministry affirmed to journalists that the ban applies to all aircraft, including drones, with exemptions for Defense Ministry aircraft and, in certain instances, for flights benefiting oil companies. The order will enter effect upon publication and remain indefinite.

The intention behind these no-fly zones is to provide anti-terrorist protection to facilities and ensure the safety of Russian airspace. Since early summer, amid a surge in drone attacks, Russia's federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, has implemented two sets of new airspace restrictions. In June, at the Defense Ministry's request, light and ultralight aircraft flights below 5,200 meters were banned in central Russia, with exceptions for state and experimental aviation.

In July, Rosaviatsiya decreased the maximum flight altitude around Moscow's aviation hub, the Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports, and introduced a ban on transit flights. However, increasing the number of no-fly zones could lead to unintentional violations due to human error or navigational mistakes, warned Sergei Deteneshev, chairman of the board for the Association of Small Aviation Enterprises (MalAP).

In such cases, unintentional violators might enter areas under air defense systems and potentially be shot down. In the first half of 2026, Russian authorities reported destroying 37,700 Ukrainian drones, while between 2023 and 2025, they claimed to have shot down 32,800 drones.