Airports in Zaporizhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk were closed due to reports that civilian airplanes could be under threat due to the possible deployment of surface-to-air (SAM) missiles by rebels from the antiterrorist operation (ATO) zone.
“This happened due to reports provided to the [State Aviation] Service by one of the divisions of the Defense Ministry that today there is a large risk for civilian planes in the ATO zone,” SBU Spokesperson Olena Hitlianska said at a briefing in Kyiv on Dec.17.
“Thus, it was decided to carry out preventive measures on the basis of the information received,” she said.
As reported, the State Aviation Service of Ukraine banned flights to the airports in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia for security reasons, starting from midnight on Dec. 13. Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk airports were back in operation on Dec. 16, however Zaporizhia airport will remain closed until Dec. 20.
