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Moscow's Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports halt flights for second night after Zelensky's airspace warning

Updated 3 September 2026

Moscow's Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports suspended arrivals and departures for a second consecutive night following warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russian airspace is becoming unsafe for civil aviation due to drone activity linked to the war. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, said temporary restrictions had been imposed at Moscow-region airports, and Flightradar24 data showed hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed during the previous disruption. Ukraine has formally notified ICAO and is pushing for an international ban on civil flights over Russia, while Moscow has rejected the warnings as legally invalid and insisted its aviation remains safe.

Why it matters

The episode illustrates Ukraine's emerging strategy of using warnings about civil-aviation risks as a pressure tool against Russian air traffic, and to lobby for an international ban on flights over Russia. It also marks a direct escalation of the regulatory battle around the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), with both Kyiv and Moscow invoking the 1944 Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The disruption is already producing market consequences: Aeroflot's share price dropped by more than 5%, and Zelensky said the first airlines have begun refusing to operate flights to Russian airports. Broader concerns about drones, long-range weapons, GNSS interference, and advanced air-defense systems in conflict zones have prompted ICAO to begin updating its guidance.

What happened

On the night of 2–3 September 2025, Moscow's Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports suspended aircraft arrivals and departures for a second consecutive night, a day after three Moscow airports had temporarily halted operations. Rosaviatsiya, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, said temporary restrictions on the acceptance and departure of aircraft had been introduced at Moscow-region airports. Flightradar24 monitoring during the previous night's disruption recorded 21 cancellations and 235 delays at Sheremetyevo and 22 cancellations and 94 delays at Vnukovo. Temporary restrictions were also imposed at Zhukovsky (Ramenskoye) airport, while Domodedovo handled flights "in coordination with relevant authorities." On 3 September, restrictions were additionally introduced at Gelendzhik and Sochi at 01:24, and at Penza and Saratov at 03:50. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that Russian air defenses had shot down drones heading toward the capital during the night; figures reported for interceptions conflicted across sources. The closures followed public warnings issued by Zelensky on 1 September, in which he told airlines and insurers that Russian airspace was becoming fully dangerous for civil aircraft because of Russia's war and Ukraine's retaliatory drone use, while stressing that Ukraine does not intend to target passenger planes. On 2 September, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine had informed ICAO about growing threats to flights in Russian airspace, and Minister for the Development of Communities and Territories Mykola Kalashnyk wrote to the ICAO Secretary General calling on member states to fully ban civil aviation flights over Russia, invoking Ukraine's right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Rosaviatsiya published a NOTAM stating that Ukrainian documents on Russian airspace have no legal force and violate the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and said Russian air transport and ground infrastructure continue to operate as planned. Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said authorities are tightening safety requirements and would not allow serious disruption to civil aviation, working with the Defense Ministry and the Rosgvardia (National Guard). Putin's adviser Anton Kobyakov said Russian airspace "remains safe." Putin himself said he had "not heard such statements" but that, voiced aloud, they amount to a "claim to state terrorism," and reportedly threatened strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in response. Ukraine's head of the Counter-Disinformation Center, Andriy Kovalenko, called the terrorism accusation ironic from the leader of a country engaged in terrorist actions itself. Following Ukraine's appeals, ICAO issued a statement calling on member states to take greater responsibility for protecting aircraft from threats in conflict zones, citing long-range weapons, drones, GNSS jamming, and advanced air-defense systems, and said it is updating its related manuals.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian coverage centers Zelensky's warnings and the formal notifications sent to ICAO by Foreign Minister Sybiha and Minister Kalashnyk as part of a diplomatic and legal push to ban civil flights over Russia. It stresses the risks to civil aviation from Russian air-defense activity and what it describes as Russia's disregard for safety measures, and quotes Kovalenko's response that Putin's "state terrorism" accusation is ironic given Russia's own conduct. Ukrainian outlets also highlight Putin's reported threat of strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure as further escalation, and note market signals such as Aeroflot's share drop and the first airlines refusing Russian routes as evidence that the warning is having effect. Articles focused on ICAO frame the agency's updated guidance as vindication of Ukraine's appeals and as pressure on member states to act independently to protect aircraft in conflict zones.

Where reporting differs

Sources report conflicting figures for drones intercepted near Moscow on the night of 3 September: Mayor Sobyanin is cited as saying both 37 drones were destroyed by 07:20 local time and that 10 UAVs were destroyed during the night itself. More fundamentally, Russian officials — Putin, Transport Minister Nikitin, adviser Kobyakov, and the Rosaviatsiya NOTAM — maintain that civil aviation in Russia continues to operate normally and is safe, while Ukrainian sources — Zelensky, Sybiha, Kovalenko, and Kalashnyk — frame Russian airspace as unsafe for civilian aircraft and call for an international ban on flights over Russia.

Background

On 1 September 2025, Zelensky publicly warned airlines and insurers that Russian airspace is becoming fully dangerous for civil aircraft. On 2 September, Sybiha informed ICAO of growing threats and Kalashnyk wrote to the ICAO Secretary General urging a full ban on civil flights over Russia; Rosaviatsiya responded with a NOTAM declaring Ukrainian documents on Russian airspace legally invalid and a violation of the Chicago Convention. Moscow Mayor Sobyanin reported overnight drone interceptions near the capital during the same period, which Russian officials cited as justification for temporary airport restrictions. ICAO subsequently acknowledged increased risks to civil aviation in conflict zones and said it is updating related manuals.

Sources