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Moscow Airports Go Dark for Second Straight Night After Zelenskyy Warns Airlines to Stay Away From Russia
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Moscow’s Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports suspended operations for a second consecutive night amid drone threats, shortly after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned airlines and insurers that Russia’s increasingly contested airspace poses a growing risk to civilian aviation, according to The Moscow Times on September 3.
Russia’s federal aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, again imposed temporary restrictions on aircraft movements at the two major Moscow airports on September 2.
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“Temporary restrictions have been introduced on the arrival and departure of aircraft,” Rosaviatsia said.
The disruption followed another night of severe delays across Moscow’s aviation network.
Three airports in the Russian capital temporarily halted operations the previous night. Flightradar24 data showed 21 flights canceled and another 235 delayed at Sheremetyevo, while Vnukovo recorded 22 cancellations and 94 delays.
The repeated shutdowns came after Zelenskyy issued a warning on September 1 to international airlines, aviation insurers and companies still operating through Russian airspace.
It was from Russia that the first missiles and the first drones came, and they crossed our country’s border from Russian airspace. This escalation cannot and will not remain confined to Ukrainian territory.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 1, 2026
Today, we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every…
The Ukrainian President said Kyiv intends to intensify long-range drone operations inside Russia in response to Moscow’s sustained strikes against Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure, warning that the growing presence of drones over Russian territory must increasingly factor into commercial aviation decisions.
Ukraine has stressed that its forces do not target civilian aircraft.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine had formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, that Russian airspace presents growing dangers to civilian aviation.
Ukraine has also asked the UN aviation body to urge member states to completely prohibit civilian aircraft from operating in Russian airspace.
According to a letter from Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Mykola Kalashnyk cited by Reuters, Kyiv argues that stronger international measures are necessary to minimize the risk of a civilian aviation disaster as military activity inside Russia intensifies.
Ukraine’s position is that the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression can no longer be treated as confined to Ukrainian airspace while Moscow continues launching missiles and drones against Ukrainian territory and Kyiv expands long-range operations against targets inside Russia.
Previously, Türkiye’s largest private airline, Pegasus Airlines, turned several Moscow-bound aircraft around mid-flight and canceled dozens of services to Russia overnight on September 2, amid drone-related disruptions at Russian airports and warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the growing risks of operating in Russian airspace.
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