Airspace closed in Ukraine, western Russia as Putin orders attack

Moves come after President Putin announced a ‘special military operation’ in the Donbas region.

Russia has announced the closure of its airspace for civilian flights on the western border with Ukraine and Belarus, while Ukraine closed its airspace to civilian flights and Europe’s aviation regulator also warned against the hazards of flying in areas bordering Russia and Belarus.

The moves on Thursday came after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in the Donbas region.

“The use of airspace on Russia’s western border with Ukraine and Belarus has been temporarily suspended due to the high threat to the safety of flights of civilian aircraft after the use of weapons and military equipment,” a Notice to Airmen or Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) statement said.

In another statement on Thursday, the Russian defense ministry said it was using “high-precision weapons” to disable air defense systems, military airports, and the air force in Ukraine.

Ukraine State Air Traffic Services Enterprise said on its website that the country’s airspace was closed to civilian flights starting from 00:45 GMT on Thursday, with air traffic services suspended.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said airspace in Russia and Belarus within 100 nautical miles of their borders with Ukraine could also pose safety risks.

“In particular, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft,” the agency said in a conflict zone bulletin.

“The presence and possible use of a wide range of ground and airborne warfare systems pose a high risk for civil flights operating at all altitudes and flight levels.”

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