According to Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, the country is closer to a no-fly zone than ever before. The trigger would be Russian attacks.
Kyiv – Air strikes cause great damage in wars, civilian casualties are often high and the destruction immense. That is why there are repeated attempts to close the airspace in war zones. So-called no-fly zones ensure that neither attacks with fighter jets nor rockets can take place.
Establishing such a zone, however, requires strong military superiority in airspace and air defenses. the Ukraine and President Volodymyr Selenskyj have repeatedly asked internationally for support in the form of such a zone since February 24th. The last military actions of Russia have brought Ukraine closer than ever to closing its airspace, according to Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna. This is reported by the US online newspaper Newsweek.
Ukraine War: Massive attack on cities across the country
On Monday (October 10) and Tuesday (October 11) Russia launched air strikes on cities across Ukraine. Almost 100 rockets caused “massive destruction”. As a result of the attacks, some power grids, water supplies and the Internet connection collapsed Newsweek writes. The attacks were described as an infrastructure blitz from Moscow.
- Examples of no-fly zones in history
- 1991: In northern Iraq, the United States, Britain and France are enforcing a no-fly zone.
- 1993 bis 1995: During the Bosnian war, NATO also closed the airspace.
- Those: Newsweek
For Stefanishyna, the act of violence is a sign of desperation. “Almost half of these missiles were destroyed by Ukraine’s air defense systems, and all power grids have already been restored,” the politician told on Thursday (October 13). Newsweek and continues: “Russians are spending hundreds of millions of dollars just to show they’re desperate.”
Weapons for Ukraine: States increase military aid in the wake of Russian attack
In response to the attacks, some states, including the USA, Germany and Spain, increased or accelerated their military aid for Ukraine. In particular, the supply of air defense systems has increased, which the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznkiov praised with the words “a new era of air defense”.
At least 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the attacks on Monday and Tuesday Newsweek reported. According to Stefanishyna, it is now necessary to ensure that Ukraine’s airspace is 100 percent protected in the event of the next attack. Already in the last attacks, around half of the Russian missiles were intercepted by the air defenses.
NATO rejects no-fly zone over Ukraine
Die Nato and Western countries have repeatedly rejected the requirement for closed airspace in the past. Secretary-General Stoltenberg justified the rejection in March 2022 by saying that establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine could lead to a war between Russia and NATO, according to the news channel In the camera reported.
In the perception of Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, the attitude of the West has changed massively. “The postponement is very serious; we can see it from the explanations,” to Stefanishyna Newsweek. She called for a “zero tolerance” approach towards Russia from Western partners. (Lucas Maier)
Die NATO, meanwhile, appears to be maneuvering with nuclear weapons to prepare.