A total of 329 flights were delayed and 43 services were canceled at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports on Wednesday. Sheremetyevo recorded 21 cancellations and 235 delays, while Vnukovo recorded 22 cancellations and 94 delays.
Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said Russia would not allow major disruptions to the country’s civil air transport system after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian airspace had become dangerous for flights.
Nikitin said civil aviation authorities were continuously improving flight and airport security conditions. The minister said the necessary solutions were in place and noted that they were working closely with the Defense Ministry and the Russian National Guard.
Ukraine issues notification on Russian airspace
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization that Russian airspace was not safe for commercial flights.
Pegasus cancels some flights to Russia
Pegasus Airlines said some flights to Russia had been canceled for technical and operational reasons but did not provide further details. Vnukovo Airport said the airline had canceled six arrivals and six departures at the airport on Tuesday.
The airline said overnight services into Wednesday would be affected by the cancellations, while other ongoing flights would continue as scheduled.
Osprey assesses attack risk
Aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions assessed that most Ukrainian drone and missile attacks were expected to take place in areas within 300 kilometers of the border.
According to the company’s analysis, daily attacks were highly likely to occur throughout 2026 in Russia’s interior regions, including around Moscow and St. Petersburg. Osprey said Ukrainian attacks could target deeper inside Russian territory and occur more frequently in the short term.
Osprey Flight Solutions also noted that the risk of miscalculation or target confusion was high in areas linked to the conflict in Ukraine.
