Report: Russia cancelling more flights after Zelensky's drone warning

An analysis by the Riga-based independent Russian-language outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe concludes that the number of cancelled flights in Russia has grown noticeably in recent times. The outlet links this trend to a recent statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who warned that Russian airspace would become completely unsafe due to the large number of Ukrainian drones operating there.

According to the analysis, the rise in cancelled flights was recorded at five of Russia's largest airports. The publication treats this data as evidence that Ukrainian drone activity is having a real effect on Russia's civil aviation sector, prompting airlines and airport operators to cancel flights more often for safety reasons.

In his statement, Zelensky stressed that the number of Ukrainian drones and their ability to reach various targets across Russian territory continues to grow, meaning the country's airspace can no longer be considered safe. Novaya Gazeta Europe's analysis is based on concrete observations of flight-cancellation statistics at Russian airports rather than on the rhetoric of the statement alone.

Novaya Gazeta Europe is one of the most prominent independent Russian-language media outlets, continuing to operate outside Russia after Kremlin pressure on independent journalists and media. The outlet regularly publishes analyses of how the war in Ukraine is affecting Russia's internal situation, including its economy and infrastructure.

The findings suggest that Ukrainian drone attacks and threats are increasingly affecting Russian civilian infrastructure, adding further strain to the aviation sector in a country that has now been at war with Ukraine for more than three years.