Zelenskyy says airlines should avoid Russian airspace as Ukraine expands drone operations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the reburial ceremony for Colonel Yevhen Konovalets on August 18, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine.Diego Fedele | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Kyiv expands its drone operations."We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia's key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe," Zelenskyy said Tuesday in his evening address.His warning follows Ukraine stepping up its long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and logistics hubs, as it seeks to raise the cost of the war for Moscow.Ukraine's president said it is important that airlines currently flying into airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other key destinations in Russia take note of the elevated airspace risk.Zelenskyy insisted that civilian aviation would not be in danger, before adding: "There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account."Most Western commercial airlines do not fly into Russian airspace due to Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Some Chine...