Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that escalating drone activity poses a threat to the safety of commercial flights over Russian territory, and has advised commercial carriers to steer clear of Russian airspace as drone operations in the region intensify. Zelenskyy indicated that Ukraine and Germany are in the process of completing an agreement on drone procurement.
Two civilians were killed following strikes on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, attributed to Russian forces. Ukrainian authorities have also indicated that aerial activity involving drones has raised concerns about the safety of the country's own airspace.
Ukraine formally notified the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that its drone operations over Russian territory have rendered that airspace unsafe for civil aviation. Ukraine also submitted a formal letter to the ICAO urging the organisation to prohibit member states from using Russian airspace, according to media reports.
The notification followed an appeal by Zelenskyy for airlines to avoid the area, with the president stating that Ukraine had no desire to see civilian lives put at risk. Zelenskyy stated that partner nations had been placed on notice that Russian airspace would no longer be safe, characterising it as drone-dominated territory for the duration of the conflict, and separately indicated plans to deploy as many as 1,000 long-range drones per day. No response to Ukraine's appeal has been issued by the ICAO.
Ukraine's civil aviation authority periodically shuts down airport operations in response to drone activity. Ukrainian airspace has remained off-limits to civilian aviation since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022. While some airlines have avoided Russian airspace, carriers from China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and other Gulf states have continued operating along that route.
Aerial bombardment of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities has intensified over recent weeks. Kyiv has launched extended-range drone attacks targeting energy facilities and military installations within Russian territory.
Zelenskyy reported that drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital extended into a seventh consecutive day on Wednesday, leaving seven people with injuries and causing damage to residential buildings and a university. Around 160 people sought shelter following an incident at a university in the city centre, he noted. Dnipro recorded two civilian fatalities as aerial bombardment of the Ukrainian capital entered its seventh consecutive day.
Attacks on power infrastructure in the Odesa region left more than 350,000 households without electricity on Wednesday, according to local authorities. Fatalities from aerial bombardment in the city of Dnipro left two dead and eight others injured, according to local authorities.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 174 drone strikes were launched against Ukraine overnight, alongside four missiles — two ballistic and two air-launched. Russian authorities claimed their air defence systems intercepted and brought down 130 Ukrainian drone aircraft during the preceding night. Two fatalities and 16 injuries were reported in Russia's Belgorod border region following drone strikes attributed to Ukraine on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy indicated that a drone agreement between Ukraine and Germany is nearing finalisation. He announced on Wednesday, following a telephone conversation with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, that an agreement with Germany on drone supplies was nearing completion, adding that the arrangement would strengthen the defence capacities of both nations.
The deal, put forward by Ukraine some months earlier, is anticipated to cover the co-development of various drone and missile systems along with associated software. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Germany and indicated he would travel to meet the chancellor in person to formalise the agreement.
Over four years into the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both nations have continued exchanging attacks on a daily basis. Two civilians lost their lives and six others sustained injuries in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro following strikes on Wednesday, according to local authorities, as Kyiv also came under attack for the seventh consecutive day. Zelenskyy reported that he spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with the two nations on the verge of completing an agreement on drone supplies.
