Zakharova Calls Zelensky's Airspace Warnings 'Aerial Blackmail' and State Terrorism

MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky's "aerial blackmail" is an attempt to sow chaos in Russia, but such a calculation is based on an illusion, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

"Zelensky's statements regarding the lack of safety in Russian airspace due to potential drone attacks by the Ukrainian military on civilian aircraft have once and for all, even for those who had previously looked away and squeezed their eyes shut - exposed the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime," Zakharova told a news briefing. "This is a direct attempt to sow chaos and destabilize the situation in our country; however, such a calculation is based on illusions, as Russian airports and aviation are adapting to the conditions of hybrid aggression," Zakharova emphasized.

By failing to respond to Zelensky's "aerial blackmail" directed at Russia, the West is becoming a direct accomplice to Kiev's crimes, Zakharova stated.

"Those who sponsor the Kiev regime are fond of professing commitment to international law and the safety of civilian infrastructure, yet they pretend not to notice - literally - how their protege brazenly threatens to attack civilian airliners that might be carrying their own citizens, compatriots, or the family members of their citizens," she diplomat pointed out. "Is this the first time they have failed to notice? The question now is not even whether they notice it or not: they are becoming direct accomplices to planned terrorist attacks."

Zelensky's statements regarding the danger to Russian airspace posed by drone attacks amount to a declaration of intent and open blackmail, Zakharova emphasized: "Statements cloaked in the garb of hypocritical concern - warnings issued to international airlines and insurers - actually constitute open blackmail, a declaration of intent, and the legitimization of aerial terrorism at the state level."