The Russia – Ukraine War and U.S. – Russian tensions have escalated. Russia has been pressing along Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kupyansk while Ukraine strikes inside Russia (especially energy targets). Russian drones entered Polish airspace and Russian fighters violated Estonian airspace. Copenhagen airport (!) even had to halt traffic.
The fight’s scope, intensity and spillover risk have all increased in recent weeks. President Trump today endorsed a return to Ukraine’s pre-war borders, and continued supply of U.S. weapons ‘to NATO’ to ‘do whatever they want with them’ (vis-a-vis Ukraine). But he notes no desire to pay for efforts.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 02:55 PM EST 09/23/25 pic.twitter.com/dQvb3ifaOb
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) September 23, 2025
And aviation watchdog JonNYC has flagged a new area of harassment. There’s a temporary hazard area that’s blocking flight traffic east of Kamchatka in international airspace that’s part of the Anchorage Oceanic Flight Information Region – Russia announced that they’re firing rockets, so air traffic control won’t clear planes through the area.
JonNYC posts a Flightradar24 screen shot showing a conga‑line of diversions around the red/pink polygon area. This seems like it could be done purely for harassment. The most affected flights are traveling between Northeast Asia and North America traveling in the corridors along the Aleutians.
- I suspect this would involve flights to and from Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Shanghai, Hong Kong
- Traveling to and from the U.S. West Coast and Canada as well as midcontinent flying
- Plus nearly all transpacific cargo traveling via Anchorage.
There’s a 330 nautical mile by 320 nautical mile box to aovid so air traffic control sends aircraft south/southeast for the duration. There are several FedEx, UPS, Korean and EVA Air flights seen stacked on those alternates routes in Jon’s screenshot.
For the past day, Russia has been conducting “rocket firings” into United States Oceanic Airspace.
This has been ongoing and will continue for another day
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Basically causes every airline that cannot overfly Russia (mostly China/Russian)to deviate 300+nm causing longer enroute times, more fuel, etc.
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) September 23, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I would love for those of you with subject matter expertise to chime in and correct any nuances here. The closure adds miles, fuel burn and time for transpacific flights during the NOTAM window. It’s a temporary situation, far afield from the banning of U.S. and European aircraft from Russian airspace. And at least they’re telling aircraft in advance that they’re shooting this time. (Cf. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243)
The war is taking its toll on aviation in numerous ways. The EU, UK, Canada and U.S. all banned Russian aircraft from their airspace in 2022 following Russia’s invasion, and Russia reciprocated with bans from its own airspace. European and U.S. airlines can’t overfly Russia at all. That puts U.S. and European airlines at a time and fuel disadvantage on some routes, like U.S. – India, relative to Air India as well as Chinese and Gulf carriers that can overfly Russia.
It’s not just that U.S. airlines cannot overfly Russian airspace. They cannot codeshare on flights that do, which is why American Airlines had to stop codesharing with Cathay Pacific on New York JFK – Hong Kong.
Russian airspace restrictions caused U.S. airlines to lobby the federal government to limit Chinese airline flights to the U.S. since those airlines can take advantage of routes that U.S. carriers cannot. This had the further consequence of driving up airfares to Asia generally.
And in another unintended consequence of the ban on use of Russian airspace, airlines are now paying the Taliban $700 per flight for safe passenger over Afghanistan.
What is the issue. Dumpyruck Trump idolizes and fears Putin. They have only started to torment. More will follow.
an inconvenience but not unexpected. A host of incursions in Europe are far more troublesome. Zelensky agrees with 47 that Europe has to step up and defend itself and put the very clear line in the sane.
47’s statement that Ukraine can win the war w/ its entire territory is the big news.
It’s time to decide which side will rule the world and make it happen.
Russia is clearly not our friend.
Now, where’s our resident bigot and Kremlin disinformation agent, @Walter Barry, to explain to us how Russia is somehow our friend? Lemme guess, it has something to do with them being anti-woke… *facepalm*
Some argue that the Cold War never really ended; that the Soviets just rebranded as corrupt capitalist oligarchs under Putin, their new dictator.
I wish the Simpson’s episode where Homer is on the nuclear submarine was mere satire… “The Soviets Union.. I thought you guys broke up? …muwahaha, that’s what we wanted you to think!”
On a less geopolitical front, I’ve been on Pacific flights rerouted but for ash from volcanic eruptions in Kamchatka. Better to be safe than repeat KA007, or MH17. Never forget.
@Tim Dunn — Uh, obviously, we want Ukraine and the free peoples of the world to win, right? I know you love Delta and ‘business,’ but there is no reality where Putin’s Russia winning is good for anyone but Putin, Xi, ‘little rocket man,’ and Iran. C’mon. Not hard to pick sides here. One thing #47 is correct about is that the Europeans (and Indians) need to stop directly and indirectly buying Russian oil.
Ukraine obviously can’t just capture back and “win the war”. Everybody, including Trump understands this.
This is all about telling the EU which has been quite comfortable with letting the US deal with this – “you talk all hawkish – you deal with this now”. But they won’t. They can’t – to weak, broke and socially challenged more than ever.
So, Putin will go on to further escalate until the EU does what it can to pressure Ukraine to surrender. It’s what they do best (The western europeans I mean). When it’s their you know what on the line – they are major appeasers.
@Ray is a piece of work, and needs to get off this site. He would be better off reading the NYT, WaPo, and the Atlantic.
With the craziness that we currently have in the White House, all I can say to everyone is good luck and the odds for a wider conflict, dragging the United States and Europe into it has greatly increased! This turn of events is not a good situation and myself am starting to get very worried about the future of this entire world!
Indeed, the key passage of Trump’s message is that Europe can pay for this.
47 doesn’t know the difference between Cambodia and Albania I’m not sure I would celebrate anything mashed potato brain says even if it supports your worldview.
@TexasTJ — Are we complaining about the NYTimes, WaPo and other media because they were recently bought out by right-wing billionaires? Oh, no, just whining about ‘woke,’ again… ah, what a shame. So close to actually getting it…
You and @Ray are both welcome here (so long as Gary allows us); and it is actually better to have everyone on here, sharing their thoughts, even those we disagree with them. As much as I mock some on here for their awful ‘hot takes,’ it’d be quite bland if Gary micromanaged us all, or if he simply gave up, like the shills over at TPG, who couldn’t handle comments or anything controversial lest they upset their corporate overlords. It’s better with y’all.
@Winston — Who could forget the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020)? Early days of the pandemic.
All the kids are still talking about it… Armenia… Azerbaijan…
And, those same kids, you know them… really into their Balkan history! Albania! The one that wasn’t part of Yugoslavia, of course. Time for a rewatch of ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ (2001), starring Owen Wilson.
Oh, and, Southeast Asia. Beautiful beaches. Delicious food. Ancient temples. And territorial disputes between Thailand and Cambodia. Yet again, the kids these days, they love this stuff, and they all know it. All over tick tac toe, or whatever’s on the phones. Yeehaw.
@Tim Dunn — Wasn’t all this supposed to be sorted out on ‘Day 1’? Huh, about that…
Ironically, RSD308, an IL96, is on its way from VKO-JFK, south of Nova Scotia at the moment, yet, no missiles. Why? Because Canada and the United States haven’t lost all their marbles yet. We don’t play games like the Russians. We recognize that safe passage for diplomacy (it is UN-week, after all), business, and our fellow human beings is a decent thing. Enough with the sabotage, the violence, the threats. Please.