Ukraine Suspends Flights with Belarus

At the instruction of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a decision to suspend flights with Belarus from 26 May.

“At an extraordinary meeting, the Government instructed the Ministry of Infrastructure, the State Aviation Administration, and the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise to take the necessary measures,” Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal posted on Telegram after the meeting.

In addition, Ukrainian airlines and planes are banned from flying in the airspace of Belarus. The State Border Guard Service is instructed to stop registering passengers travelling from or to Belarus at the airport customs control points.

“The situation with the forced landing of Ryanair’s plane in Minsk is a violation of the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The decision of our Government aims to ensure safety of flights and passengers,” Shmyhal added.

After the forced landing of Ryanair’s plane and the detention of Belarusian opposition journalist Raman Pratasevich, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Government to prepare a decision to terminate scheduled flights between Ukraine and Belarus. The day before, a number of world powers condemned the actions by Belarusian authorities, and some politicians even used the phrase “act of aviation terrorism” to assess the actions of the Lukashenka regime.

Bohdan Marusyak