The European Union has closed its airspace to any aircraft affiliated with Russia after the country invaded Ukraine.
European Commission spokeswoman Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday that European airspace would be shut down for Russians. Russian state media are also banned from broadcasting in EU territories.
“We are shutting down the EU airspace for Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft,” von der Leyen said in a statement. “They won’t be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU.” The spokeswoman specifically noted that this would apply to all private jets owned by Russian oligarchs.
US AND ALLIES ATTACK ‘FORTRESS RUSSIA’ WITH MAJOR ECONOMIC OFFENSIVE
First, we are shutting down the EU airspace for Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft.
They won’t be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU.
Including the private jets of oligarchs. pic.twitter.com/o551M9zekQ
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 27, 2022
Von der Leyen also stated that the EU is developing tools to stop Russian state media, including Russia Today and Sputnik and their subsidiaries, from spreading misinformation about the Ukraine invasion. There will also be several new sanctions administered.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell confirmed the bans, saying at a Sunday press conference that “we are taking a crucial step to turn off the tap for the Russians’ information manipulation in Europe by banning Russia Today and Sputnik from broadcasting in the European Union.” Borell compared the decision to “killing the snake on its neck.”
Several independent members of the EU initially moved to ban Russian aircraft from their space, including Finland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, and France. Now, the ban is across borders. The EU and the United States also rolled out a series of sanctions against Russian banks and leaders, although their impact has wobbled at times.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Russian media outlets have come under increased scrutiny recently, including tech companies like Google blocking downloads of the Russia Today app in Ukrainian territory and YouTube restricting the sale of online ads from Russian state media.
These are just a few public responses to Russia’s actions. The popular musical competition show Eurovision banned Russia from performing due to the invasion on Monday. Formula 1 also canceled the Russian Grand Prix.
