What is a no-fly zone?

A no-fly zone describes airspace in which specific aircraft are not allowed to fly. No-fly zones are meant to prevent attacks or surveillance over sensitive areas, such as military bases. For example, a surveillance drone would be shot down if it were flying over a designated no-fly zone, such as an air force base – as was the case at a US military base in Syria last December.

The implementation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine would mean that NATO forces would have to ground Russian aircraft flying over Ukrainian skies – by force if necessary.

Why are Western leaders hesitant to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine?

“You don’t just say ‘that’s a no-fly zone’. You have to enforce a no-fly zone,” former US air force general Philip Breedlove told Foreign Policy magazine.

Experts and government officials alike have warned that enforcing a no-fly zone would require potentially confronting Russian military jets that are in the midst of military activities, which could not possibly be interpreted as anything aside from direct military conflict.

On Friday, NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, warned that the introduction of a no-fly zone could lead to a “full-fledged war in Europe involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering”.

Source: Explainer: What is a no-fly zone? – The Jerusalem Post