The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has officially responded to a letter from Ukraine in which Kyiv warned of the risks associated with extending flights in Russian airspace. This was announced on September 19, 2026, by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, speaking in a comment to Ukrainian media. According to him, Ukraine is grateful to ICAO for communicating its position on this matter to all member states, thereby documenting at the international level the alarming trends in aviation security over Russian territory.

Timeline: From Warning to Official Response

Recall that on September 2, 2026, Ukraine sent an official letter to ICAO warning of the dangers of conducting flights in Russian airspace. At that time, Sybiha stated that the sky over Russia is becoming increasingly dangerous amid the escalation of the full-scale war, and called on all states and aviation bodies to avoid using this airspace. The ICAO response, which became known last week, effectively confirmed the receipt and review of Ukraine's appeal, as well as recorded the organization's position before the entire community of member states.

"Russia Is Deliberately Terrorizing Airspace"

In his comment, Sybiha emphasized that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has consistently protected civil aviation: the Defense Forces daily intercept Russian drones and missiles that threaten both Ukrainian and international aviation. The minister noted that this threat is not limited to Ukraine's borders — it regularly disrupts the air traffic of NATO countries, as evidenced by incidents involving the crossing of neighboring states' airspace. "It is Russia that is deliberately terrorizing airspace and the civilian population — with regular missile strikes and drone incidents," stated the head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

Appeal to Airlines and Insurers

Sybiha stressed that the protection of civil aviation and the ensuring of airspace security must remain a shared responsibility of the international community. On this basis, he addressed international airlines, insurance companies, and other participants in the aviation market with an appeal to take the accumulated threats seriously and cease operations in Russian airspace. In essence, Kyiv is raising the question of making economic and insurance mechanisms an additional tool of pressure on Russia in the sphere of aviation security.

Contradictory Data

It should be noted that positions of both sides of the conflict are circulating within international aviation bodies. According to the Russian publication "Politika Segodnya" (pnp.ru), ICAO also confirmed receiving a separate message from Russia, in which Moscow describes threats allegedly coming from Ukraine. Thus, the organization's archive holds two parallel appeals — Ukrainian and Russian — each of which interprets the airspace situation in its own favor. Kyiv insists that it is Russia that creates the threat through missile and drone strikes, while the Russian side, according to its own statements to ICAO, points to Ukrainian actions. The final assessment of the factual situation remains a subject of discussion within the organization itself.

Broader Context: Drones over Moldova and Romania

Ukraine's appeal to ICAO is not an isolated step. As early as August 2026, Sybiha publicly reacted to incidents in which Russian drones entered the airspace of Moldova and Romania, calling this a test of NATO's resolve. These episodes strengthened Kyiv's argument that the threat created by Russia in the airspace is transboundary in nature and affects not only Ukraine's sovereign territory but also the safety of air traffic in the region as a whole. It is in this context that ICAO's response to Ukraine's letter takes on significance not merely as a diplomatic formality, but as a potential trigger for a review of aviation and insurance policies regarding Russian airspace.