When Volodymyr Zelensky warned airlines that Russian airspace could practically become impossible to use, he wasn’t speaking of a strategy starting from scratch. Ukraine has been testing a tactic for almost a year and a half where its drones force Russian authorities to close airports without necessarily attacking them.
Now, Kyiv aims to scale up this strategy significantly: enough drones deep into Russian territory and frequently enough that the risk becomes permanent, prompting foreign airlines to start avoiding Russia on their own.
The details of the plan are outlined in an analysis published by Kiev Independent, which also consulted individuals familiar with Ukrainian operations.
„Simply put, there will be drones in the Russian sky on a scale that must be taken into account,” Zelensky warned on September 1, addressing „every airline using Russian airspace.” „Russian airspace will be de facto closed,” said the Ukrainian president.
A day later, Zelensky claimed that the first effects were already visible. „We have received information that the first airlines have started to refuse flights to Russian airports after our announcement about the danger posed by drones, which objectively exist in the Russian sky,” he stated.
Kyiv has also informed international organizations about the risks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sîbiha announced that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was informed that „Russian airspace is not safe for aviation due to the intensification of military activity.”
„We urge everyone to avoid it,” the minister conveyed.
**Read more:**
– [Multiple airlines cancel flights to Russia after Zelensky’s warning](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/eveniment/mai-multe-companii-aeriene-anuleaza-zboruri-spre-rusia-dupa-avertismentul-lui-zelenski)
### Operation that began almost a year and a half ago
The idea of using drones to disrupt Russian aviation is not new. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) initiated Operation „Carpet” last spring, according to sources familiar with it, speaking to Kiev Independent under anonymity for security reasons.
The name holds a special significance. „Carpet” – (Kovior in Russian, „Carpet”) – is the term used in Russia for the procedure where airspace is closed when unidentified objects are detected or a threat emerges.
This is precisely the reaction Ukraine sought to provoke. The operation’s goal was not to target airports. However, drones were intentionally sent near them so that Russian authorities would be compelled to suspend or restrict air traffic when the devices were detected.
In this way, **Kyiv could disrupt both civilian and military aviation in Russia without attacking airport infrastructure.** According to sources cited by Kiev Independent, Ukraine’s international partners explicitly warned Kyiv not to strike airports.
**Read more:**
– [Ukraine’s secret plan: Up to 1,000 AI drones were supposed to attack Moscow airports without human control](https://spotmedia.ro/stiri/eveniment/planul-secret-al-ucrainei-pana-la-1-000-de-drone-cu-ai-urmau-sa-atace-aeroporturile-din-moscova)
### Hundreds of temporarily closed airports
The strategy has already produced significant effects. Ukrainian drones have prompted at least 217 temporary closures of airports in Russia since January 1, 2025, according to data from the Russian state aviation agency Rosaviatsia, analyzed by the independent publication Novaya Gazeta Europe.
An example of the impact of such operations came before Victory Day on May 9, 2025. In just three nights of Ukrainian drone attacks, Rosaviatsia was forced to impose temporary flight restrictions affecting the travel plans of at least 60,000 passengers, according to the Russian Association of Tour Operators.
So far, however, such disruptions have been temporary and targeted specific airports or regions. The new plan seems to aim for something considerably larger.
**Read more:**
– [From temporarily closed airports to an „air blockade”](https://novayagazeta.eu/en/articles/2025/05/20/fly-for-cover-en)
### Pressure shifting beyond the front line
The plan emerges at a time when neither Russia nor Ukraine have achieved decisive changes on the battlefield and are seeking other ways to increase pressure on the opponent.
Russia has significantly intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, especially targeting Kyiv.
The Ukrainian capital experienced its seventh consecutive day of Russian drone attacks on September 2. A university, a medical unit, and a residential building were damaged.
Ukraine lacks the long-range missile arsenal that Russia possesses and is trying to compensate by developing and mass-producing drones capable of striking or penetrating at greater distances.
Moscow strongly reacted to Kyiv’s new warning. Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of „state terrorism” and claimed that Russia cannot negotiate with terrorists.
For Kyiv, however, the declared objective is different: to ensure that the war and its risks can no longer be kept by Russia away from the country’s daily operations.
And if Ukraine succeeds in turning what have been hundreds of temporary airport closures into a constant threat to aviation, Zelensky’s warning of a „de facto closed Russian sky” would carry a whole different weight.
G.P.