According to him, Ukraine does not threaten civil aviation, but drones in the sky over Russia will appear more frequently, therefore "the war unleashed by Russia is closing its skies." Zelensky urged ambassadors and carriers flying primarily to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other key Russian destinations to convey this warning to their capitals and relevant authorities. Earlier, The Atlantic reported on a failed Ukrainian plan M&Ms: up to a thousand cheap drones with AI guidance were supposed to overload air defense and close the skies over Moscow for international flights for a long time. According to the publication, Zelensky feared that a possible strike on a civilian aircraft would be considered "piracy," but allowed preparations for the operation. It was halted after the resignation of Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov. Even without this operation, drone attacks regularly paralyze Russian airports: from June 28 to July 28 last year, they suspended operations 114 times, and in the first quarter of 2026, the Association of Tour Operators counted more than 290 such cases.
