Putin and Zelenskyy Trade Threats as Airlines Begin Avoiding Russian Airspace Over Drone Risk

The air war between Russia and Ukraine has entered a dangerous new phase, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning commercial airlines that Russian airspace is becoming unsafe due to the scale of Ukrainian drone operations, and Russian President Vladimir Putin responding by accusing Kyiv of "state terrorism" and ordering intensified strikes on Ukraine's energy grid.

In his nightly address on 1 September, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine's growing fleet of attack drones—now capable of hundreds of sorties per day deep into Russian territory—effectively makes Russian airspace a hazard for civilian aviation. "We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports: the Russian sky is becoming completely dangerous," he stated, according to BBC News. He stressed that Ukraine does not target civilian aircraft but that the sheer number of drones in the sky "has to be taken into account."

By 2 September, Zelenskyy confirmed that the warning was having an effect. "We are receiving information that the first airlines have begun refusing to operate flights to Russian airports following our warning about the drone threat," he said in his evening address, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. Ukraine has also formally notified the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) of the danger, according to Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

Most Western carriers have not flown over Russia since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, but airlines from China, India, and the Middle East continue to use Russian airspace and serve Russian airports. The warning from Kyiv is aimed squarely at them.

Speaking at a press conference following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek on 2 September, Putin dismissed Zelenskyy's statement as a "bid for state terrorism," according to Ukrainska Pravda. "You don't negotiate with terrorists," he said, adding that if "tragedies" occur, Russia will find a way to respond. He confirmed that Russian armed forces have been instructed to carry out large-scale retaliatory strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure—a threat that comes as winter approaches.

Putin also acknowledged that drones pose the "main challenge" for Russian forces across all domains—air, land, sea, and underwater—but claimed that Russian defence companies are ramping up production to counter the threat, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

In one of his most detailed updates on the war's economic impact, Putin revealed that Ukrainian strikes have damaged approximately 100 commercial vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov over the past 40 days, causing losses estimated at about 1% of Russia's GDP. "They have inflicted real damage on us," Putin said, according to Ukrainska Pravda, though he insisted the losses were "not critical." Independent monitors have noted a sharp drop in Russian crude oil exports from Black Sea ports in August.

Meanwhile, Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine continued. Between 1 and 2 September, Ukrainian authorities reported strikes on Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro, where at least one person was killed and more than a dozen wounded, according to Al Jazeera.

On the diplomatic front, Putin said negotiations are "currently frozen," though he left the door open for "positive proposals" from intermediaries. "If someone is ready to bring something positive to this negotiating process, which, as we know, is currently frozen, then overall, we have nothing against it," he said, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. He acknowledged contacts with US officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and expressed comfort working with figures close to Donald Trump.

But any prospect of talks appears distant. Putin explicitly linked the drone warning to the breakdown in communication: "They are asking us to resume negotiations... You don't negotiate with terrorists."

The escalation comes as Ukraine's military sources say the country is pursuing a target of launching 1,000 long-range drones per day to pressure Russia's economy and military. The strategy is designed to force Moscow to the negotiating table, but so far it has produced the opposite effect: a spiral of threats and retaliatory strikes that shows no sign of abating.

For European readers watching the war closely, the key takeaway is that the conflict is no longer confined to the front lines or even to Ukrainian territory. The airspace above Russia itself is now being weaponised, with direct consequences for international aviation and global shipping routes through the Black Sea. And with winter approaching, Putin's promise to intensify strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure raises the spectre of a new humanitarian crisis.