Russian transport minister says Moscow is 'preparing' for Zelensky's airspace threats
Russia's transport minister Andrey Nikitin said the country is prepared to respond to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's warnings about making Russian airspace unsafe with drones. Turkish airline Pegasus has already begun canceling flights to and from Moscow.
The head of Russia's Transport Ministry, Andrey Nikitin, said Russian aviation authorities will not allow any "significant disruptions" to civil aviation, responding to warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russian airspace would become unsafe due to drone strikes.
Speaking to the Interfax news agency, Nikitin said the ministry is preparing for such threats and taking them into account, continuously improving flight safety standards and airport security requirements. He claimed the ministry has answers to all the threats being voiced.
Nikitin said the Transport Ministry works in close coordination with the Defense Ministry and Russia's National Guard. He expressed confidence that no major disruptions to civil aviation would be permitted, though so-called "Carpet" restrictions — temporary airport closures — would continue to occur, since passenger safety remains the top priority. He said the situation would be fully resolved in the coming years.
Zelensky's warning
On the evening of September 1, Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines that Russian airspace "is becoming unsafe," saying drones would appear over Russian skies in numbers that would have to be reckoned with. He stressed that Ukraine does not threaten civil aviation as such, but that Ukrainian drone attacks would effectively close off Russian airspace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described Zelensky's statement as "a bid for state terrorism."
Following Zelensky's remarks, Turkish carrier Pegasus began canceling flights to and from Moscow.
