Closed Airspace: Why Putin Is So Nervous About Zelensky’s Warning
Ukrainians Are Blowing the Imperial Dust Off Russia’s “Carpet”
Closed Airspace: Putin's Anxiety Over Zelensky's Warning
Moscow's Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports halted operations for two nights in a row due to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's warnings of risks to civil aviation from Russia's airspace. On September 1, Zelensky threatened increased drone attacks against Russian territory in response to strikes on civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha informed the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that Russian airspace was now unsafe.
Ukraine recalled closing its airspace in February 2022, while Russia ignored the dangers, leading to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight on December 25, 2024.
Ukraine has urged the ICAO to ban civil aircraft from Russian airspace entirely. Aviation risk assessment firm Osprey Flight Solutions has warned clients of the growing risks of flying over Ukraine due to Ukrainian strikes and potential Russian air defense mistakes. However, Putin dismissed these warnings as an attempt at "state terrorism." Russia's Defense Ministry reported a record 1,158 Ukrainian drones shot down in 2026, up from 524 in 2025 and 1,158 in 2024.
Putin introduced Russia's "Carpet" plan in 1978, first targeting South Korean aircraft over the Kola Peninsula. The plan became routine during Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, Saratov, and other cities frequently closed. In 2025, Russia's Far East saw increased closures, possibly due to attacks on Vladivostok.
The "Carpet" plan has now expanded to include Russian Far Eastern airports, with over 1,800 closures in 2025 alone, causing an estimated $10–30 million in daily losses to civil aviation.
Written by urgent.news from Ukrinform - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
