EU bans Russian flights over Europe responding Russia´s attack

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Sunday that the EU would shut its airspace to Russian airlines in response to Russia´s military attack in Ukraine since early Thursday, international media reported.

"We are shutting down the EU airspace for Russians," Von der Leyen said in a statement on Sunday, "We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft."

"These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU," she said, adding that the ban would "apply to any plane owned, chartered or otherwise controlled by a Russian legal or natural person."

"So let me be very clear. Our airspace will be closed to every Russian plane - and that includes the private jets of oligarchs," she stressed, reported Xinhua.

Earlier on Sunday, many European countries including Finland, Sweden and France also said they would shut down its airspace to Russian airlines and Russian registered aircraft.