Moscow airports halt flights for second straight night following Zelenskyy warning

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced temporary restrictions on arrivals and departures across the capital's hubs.

The closures follow widespread disruptions a day earlier when three Moscow airports halted operations. According to Flightradar24 flight-tracking service, Sheremetyevo saw 21 flights canceled and 235 delayed, while Vnukovo registered 22 cancellations and 94 delays.

Rosaviatsiya issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) asserting that "all documents published by Ukraine regarding Russian airspace lack legal force and violate the Convention on International Civil Aviation."

Nevertheless, Rosaviatsiya pledged to implement supplementary safety protocols to protect domestic airspace and heighten security across transport infrastructure.

This measures followed the warnings from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian airspace is no longer safe for commercial aviation. 

"Today, we want to warn every airline operating in Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone still utilizing key Russian hubs: Russian skies are becoming thoroughly unsafe," Zelenskyy said.

The president noted that Russian airspace will progressively close as a direct consequence of the war initiated by Moscow.

"The war unleashed by Russia is closing its own skies," Zelenskyy underscored.

He stated that Ukraine intends to prevent civilian casualties by formally alerting other nations to the escalating dangers of transit over Russian territory.

Ukraine has formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of the risks associated with flights over Russia.

The Kremlin responded promptly: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin declared that the Russian armed forces have already received directives to prepare and launch massive retaliatory strikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Simultaneously, the Kremlin insisted that flights into Russia remain entirely safe despite recurrent airport shutdowns caused by drone incursions.

Market reaction was also immediate. On the day of Zelenskyy’s announcement, shares of Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot plummeted.

Following the warning, Turkiye’s largest carrier canceled scheduled flights to Russia, with several airborne aircraft ordered to turn back mid-flight.

On the first day following Zelenskyy's statement, international airlines canceled at least 27 flights inbound to Moscow airports.