Pegasus turns planes around midflight, cancels Russia flights after Zelenskyy warning

In particular, planes operating flights PC1456 from Bodrum to Moscow, PC1521 from Izmir to Moscow and PC1576 from Antalya to Moscow returned to their departure airports. In the morning, the airline canceled dozens of flights from Istanbul to Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as flights from Antalya, Izmir and Dalaman to Russian cities. Return flights from Russia were also canceled.

A Pegasus representative told passengers on one of the canceled flights that "the Turkish side is prohibiting departures" and that the airline did not know what to expect next. Pegasus ticket offices in Russia said they did not know whether the airline would continue flying to Moscow and were unable to provide information about upcoming flights.

According to the report, about 80 flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow airports overnight because of the threat of drones. Schedule changes affected 40 flights at Sheremetyevo, 20 at Domodedovo and 17 at Vnukovo.

Russia's Defense Ministry said 130 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across 11 Russian regions, including the Moscow region, as well as over annexed Crimea.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian airspace was becoming dangerous for airlines, insurers and other participants in international air travel.

"Today, we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer and everyone who still uses key Russian airports: Russian skies are becoming completely unsafe," Zelenskyy said.

The president said Russian airspace would gradually close because of the war launched by Russia.

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

He said Ukraine does not want civilian casualties and is therefore warning other countries about the risks associated with flying over Russian territory.

Russia responded shortly afterward, with Vladimir Putin saying the country's armed forces had already been instructed to prepare and carry out large-scale strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Ukraine responded to Putin's remarks following Zelenskyy's warning about Russian airspace.

The market reaction was immediate. Later that day, Aeroflot shares plunged following Zelenskyy's warning about Russian airspace.