BREAKING: Zelensky vows 'Russian sky will be de facto closed,' warns airlines, insurers, foreign governments

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 1 warned airlines, insurers, and foreign governments that Russian airspace "will be de facto closed" because of Ukrainian drones.

Ukraine does not threaten civil aviation, yet carriers flying to Moscow, St. Petersburg, or other major hubs must factor in the risk of drones in Russian skies, Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.

"Today we want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, everyone who still uses key Russian airports — Russian skies are becoming completely dangerous," he said.

"Although the Russian authorities do not report this as it should, the Russian sky will de facto be closed," he added.

This situation was brought about by Russia itself through the war it wages against Ukraine, Zelensky said.

The president pointed to Russia's attacks, including strikes on Sept. 1 that killed 12 people and injured another 21 in Ukraine's capital and Kyiv Oblast.

"This is purely Russian terror against civilians. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has tried to block our ports, and due to Russian strikes on Ukraine, our skies are closed to civilian aviation," he added.

In the Telegram post, Zelensky also addressed ambassadors serving in Kyiv and Moscow, urging them to warn their governments as well as airlines serving destinations in Russia.

Ukrainian authorities would provide international bodies with full information about the hazards, according to Zelensky.

Kyiv will work with partners who travel to Russia, with Ukraine open to pausing strikes to ensure safe passage, as was already done with CIA Director John Ratcliffe's trip to Moscow on Aug. 25, Zelensky said.

"Therefore, for the sake of diplomacy, for the sake of negotiations — when our partners turn to us about this — we will ensure that the Russian sky is cleared of drones for certain periods of time and in certain directions," he said.

Drone attacks on Russian cities, including Moscow, have been recorded on several instances and often prompted temporary airport closures.

While the Russian capital is well-defended against aerial threats, Ukrainian officials have previously said that disrupting aviation operations is a strategic way of bringing the Kremlin's war home to the Russian population.

"We always support every step towards peace, to ensure that Russia does not make this war endless. The war needs to end, and leaders are right to say this to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," Zelensky said.

Just a day earlier on Aug. 31, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Putin to move from "endless war" and work toward steps to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

"Every day that the war continues, humanity is, in effect, set back a step, whilst every step towards peace gives all of humanity real hope for peace," Modi told the Russian leader on the sidelines of the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek.

"We need to move from endless war to an end to the war, to a cessation of hostilities."

On July 25, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged a return to peace negotiations and called for Russia's war against Ukraine to be frozen.

"The nature of this conflict is not entirely clear to many, including us," Tokayev said.