Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Russian minister of transport said that Russian authorities are continually tightening requirements for flight and airport safety.
In Moscow, the Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports suspended operations for a second night in a row. Restrictions were imposed after warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the danger of Russian airspace for civil aviation. In particular, the reception and departure of aircraft were temporarily restricted, The Moscow Times reports, citing Rosaviatsia.
It is noted that the day before, the operations of three Moscow airports were temporarily halted at once. According to Flightradar24, 21 flights were canceled at Sheremetyevo and 235 were delayed. At Vnukovo, 22 flights were canceled and 94 were delayed.
The publication also writes that Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin said that Russian authorities are continually tightening requirements for flight and airport safety and have measures to respond to threats “that terrorists declare.” He also noted that the relevant services closely cooperate with the Ministry of Defense and the National Guard. According to Nikitin, the authorities will not allow serious disruptions to the operation of civil aviation.
The day before, Zelensky warned airlines, insurance companies, and countries that still use Russia’s main airports that the aggressor country’s airspace is becoming increasingly dangerous. The president said that Ukraine does not threaten civil aviation and has no intention of attacking civilian aircraft. At the same time, he emphasized that the appearance of drones in Russian skies forces consideration of possible risks. Zelensky also said that Russian authorities do not officially report this, but in fact the airspace over Russia is being closed because of the war it itself started.
In response, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said he had “not heard such statements, but if this has been said out loud, then it is a claim of state terrorism.”
Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation Andriy Kovalenko meanwhile reacted to Putin’s words. He said that accusations of terrorism over a statement about the possible closure of airspace over Russia sound strange coming from the leader of a country that itself carries out terrorist actions.
In addition, ZN.UA reported that Infrastructure Minister Mykola Kalashnyk appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ban civil flights over the territory of Russia. He warned that Ukraine would respond to the intensification of Russian aerial terror within the right of self-defense provided by Article 51 of the UN Charter. This information was later confirmed by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha.
In response, Rosaviatsia issued a NOTAM stating that all documents published by Ukraine regarding Russian airspace “have no legal force and contradict the Convention on International Civil Aviation.”
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Московські аеропорти другу ніч поспіль призупиняли роботу після попереджень Зеленського". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ZN.ua.