**Ukrainian Airline Launches Flights from Moldova**
A Ukrainian airline, SkyUp Airlines, has announced plans to launch direct scheduled flights from Chisinau, Moldova to several European destinations. The first flights are set to start in April 2025.
The airline chose the Chisinau Airport in Moldova because it is the closest international hub to Ukraine. This is a unique solution for Ukrainians traveling abroad due to the country’s airspace being closed since the full-scale invasion began.
Ukraine has been exploring options to reopen some airports, but lacks the air defenses needed to protect the airspace amid continued Russian drone and missile attacks. The European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) published a seven-year forecast that included the likelihood of restrictions over Ukrainian airspace remaining in place until 2029.
The list of routes includes cities in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Cyprus. Tickets are already available for booking from December 11, 2024.
**Background**
Ukraine’s airspace has been closed since the start of the war, forcing Ukrainians to use road or rail to reach neighboring countries to catch flights. The country has been working on reopening some airports but lacks air defenses to protect the airspace.
A senior partner at the Marsh McLennan insurance and risk management firm said that one of Ukraine’s airports could resume operations by the end of January 2025, while Communities and Territories Development Minister Oleksii Kuleba said that Ukraine is “95%” ready to resume commercial flights.
**Other Developments**
In other news, Austria’s OMV has terminated its long-term gas supply contract with Russia‘s Gazprom Export. The European Commission President announced financial support for six European countries bordering Russia and Belarus to bolster their border protection efforts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban after his call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while a U.S. official said the experimental Oreshnik missile is more an “attempt at intimidation than a game-changer on the battlefield in Ukraine.”
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