Ukraine says war has damaged most civilian airports

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Ukraine says war has damaged most civilian airports

Fifteen of Ukraine’s civilian airports have been damaged since Russia invaded the country in February 2022, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been quoted as saying by local media.

Ukraine, which the state aviation service says has 20 civilian airports, has been exploring avenues to partially open its airspace.

It has been completely closed since the start of the war.

Ukrainians who want to fly abroad currently have to go via road or rail to neighbouring countries to catch flights.

For those living in the east, the journey out of Ukraine can take a day in itself.

“We conducted a risk assessment and determined the needs of the air defence forces to partially open the airspace,” local news agency Ukrinform quoted Shmyhal as saying at a transportation conference.

“Security issues and the military situation remain key to this decision,” he said.

Shmyhal added that Russia had attacked Ukraine’s port infrastructure nearly 60 times in the last three months, damaging or destroying nearly 300 facilities and 22 civilian vessels.

A senior partner at insurance broker Marsh McLennan told Reuters earlier this month that Ukraine could reopen the airport in the western city of Lviv in 2025 if regulators deem it safe and a political decision is made.

The Ukrainian military on Saturday reported heavy fighting along the front lines in the eastern Donbas region as Russia continued to launch attacks.

Fierce clashes were reported in the key areas of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, which are the focal point of the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine.

A breakthrough would pave the way for the Russian forces to advance towards the strategic cities of Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia.

However, Ukrainian military experts say the front in the Donbas region has stabilised after Ukraine deployed reinforcements to the area.

In total, the General Staff in Kyiv recorded 153 engagements along the front lines.

with DPA

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