Related News
Ukraine shuts airspace to Russia planes
Print Edition
Ukraine yesterday banned all Russian airlines from crossing its airspace in the latest escalation between the two neighbors 19 months into the separatist war in the east of the former Soviet state.
The announcement by Kiev came only moments after Russia announced plans to halt gas shipments to energy-dependent Ukraine, set to start today.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told a televised cabinet meeting that the latest ban was justified because “Russia might use Ukrainian airspace to stage provocations.”
“This is an issue of our country’s national security — a response to the Russian Federation and its aggressive actions,” he said.
Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Moscow of supporting the pro-Russian revolt in reprisal for last year’s ouster of Kiev’s Kremlin-backed president.
Kiev on October 25 barred most Russian airlines from flying into Ukraine — a decision that drew immediate reciprocal measures by Moscow.
But President Petro Poroshenko’s government had at the time allowed Russian airlines to cross Ukrainian airspace to other destination.
Yatsenyuk said the new decision came “in part as result of the escalation of the military and geopolitical situation.”
Russia denies all involvement in a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 8,000 people — the majority of them civilians — and plunged Moscow’s relations with the West to a post-Cold War low.
Moscow is threatening to halt all Ukrainian food imports should Kiev join a planned free trade alliance with the European Union.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
