To Keep Its Airspace Open Amid Tensions With Russia, Ukraine Disburses IDR 8,4T

Illustration of bustle at Boryspil International Airport, Kyiv, Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Christophe95)

JAKARTA - Ukraine pledged funds to keep its airspace open for commercial flights, after airlines reviewed their services to the country, as the United States warned of a possible Russian attack that could occur at any time.

Dutch airline KLM, part of Air France, said it would stop service to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said it was considering suspending flights.

Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure said airlines continued to operate "without any restrictions", and Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said the government had allocated 16.6 billion hryvnia, or around IDR 8.464.688.678.020, to ensure continued flights through its airspace.

He said the funds would ensure the safety of flights in Ukraine for insurance and leasing companies.

"This decision will stabilize the situation in the passenger air transport market, will ensure the return of our nationals to Ukraine who are currently abroad," he said, without elaborating on how the funds would be allocated.

Meanwhile, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine's Presidential Chief of Staff, previously said he saw no point in closing the country's airspace in response to Moscow's troop increase.

The individual carrier's reconfiguration scheduling has nothing to do with our state's decisions or policies, he told Reuters.

"The most important point is that Ukraine itself doesn't see any point in closing the skies. And, in my opinion, it's a bit like a kind of partial blockade," Podolyak said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Interfax News Agency said Ukrainian insurance companies had received notices from reinsurance companies that airlines did not bear the risk of war.

Ukrainian airline SkyUp said it had to divert flights from Portugal to Ukraine on Saturday, after the plane's owner barred it from entering Ukrainian airspace.

Its CEO Dmytro Seroukhov said the airline was "cooperating with state authorities to find a solution."

Separately, the United States, its Western allies and other countries have reduced or evacuated embassy staff and have advised their citizens not to travel to Ukraine amid the impasse.

Washington says the Russian military, which has more than 100.000 troops assembled near Ukraine, could strike at any time. Moscow denies having any such plans and described such warnings as "hysteria".

At Boryspil International Airport, Ukraine's largest aiport, there was little sign Saturday of an exodus. Oksana Yurchenko is traveling back to Australia with her child.

"We are visiting our family here in Ukraine. We were planning to stay a little longer but this situation is a bit scary," says the chef and beauty salon owner.

Australia has advised its citizens to leave Ukraine, saying on Sunday it was evacuating its embassy.

Meanwhile, Ricky, a Scotsman living in Ukraine, said he saw no sign of public anxiety on the streets.

"I don't see anyone in fear in Ukraine, everyone is just getting on with their lives," he said at the airport while waiting for a flight to go on vacation.