UN agency urges civilian aircraft safety after Zelensky warns Russian airspace ‘not safe’

MONTREAL - The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) called on its members on Sept 2 to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, shortly after Ukraine formally told the body that Russian airspace was “not safe” amid the war.

“Long-range weapons systems, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), global navigation satellite system radio frequency interference, and advanced air defense systems are among the military technologies jeopardising civilian aviation,” the ICAO said in a statement that did not mention any specific country.

The Montreal-based UN agency also reiterated calls “for stronger commitments from all member states to protect civilian aircraft from all risks arising from conflict zones” because the risk of being “targeted or caught in crossfire is increasing.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sept 1 that skies over Russia were becoming “extremely dangerous” because of Kyiv’s drones.

“Ukraine does not want innocent lives to be lost. That is why we are warning our partners: the safe days in the Russian sky are over,” Zelensky said, noting that while civilian flights aren’t being targeted, there is “no place” for them “in a sky swarming with drones.”

The Ukrainian leader called that a fair response to “Russia’s desire to prolong the war” by committing “terror against civilians.” AFP