First airline cancels flights to Moscow amid Ukrainian threat to 'close' Russia's skies

Air Tanzania has temporarily suspended flights between Dar es Salaam and Moscow, citing “safety considerations,” the airline said.

The airline said the decision followed a routine assessment of conditions along the route, adding that safety would take precedence over commercial considerations. The suspension came a day after Air Tanzania flight TC 422, traveling from Zanzibar to Moscow, was diverted to St. Petersburg instead of landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport because airspace around the Russian capital had been closed.

Air Tanzania is the first airline to suspend Moscow flights following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s warning on Sept. 1 that Russian airspace was becoming increasingly unsafe. Zelenskyy said Ukraine does not target civilian aircraft but warned that Ukrainian drones posed a significant threat to civilian aviation, while accusing Russian authorities of refusing to acknowledge the danger.

The suspension comes amid an intensifying Ukrainian drone campaign against targets inside Russia. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted or destroyed 490 Ukrainian drones overnight on Sept. 4. Russian officials and local authorities also reported attacks on several industrial and military facilities, including the Sterlitamak Petrochemical Plant.

Anti-corruption agency detains top prosecutor amid probe into scam call centers

Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced on September 4 that it is conducting a major operation against a criminal organization allegedly led by an official from the Prosecutor General’s Office. According to the agency, the group is accused of protecting a network of scam call centers and laundering the proceeds of those frauds.

Law enforcement sources identified the detained official as Serhiy Kropyva, a deputy head in the international cooperation department of the Prosecutor General’s Office. The office itself confirmed that the employee under investigation has been suspended for the duration of the pretrial probe and pledged full cooperation with anti-corruption authorities.

The case is the latest in a series of high-profile investigations by NABU. It comes just weeks after an August probe into alleged money laundering and corporate raiding that implicated Iryna Mudra, a former deputy chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky. That investigation was itself linked to last year’s major corruption case involving the state nuclear energy company Energoatom — the largest such scandal of Zelensky’s presidency — and followed earlier charges against former Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak.

Scam call centers have become a persistent problem in Ukraine, often targeting victims abroad with sophisticated phone and online fraud schemes. Ukrainian authorities have previously reported shutting down hundreds of such operations, but the latest NABU action suggests that some networks may have enjoyed protection from within the law-enforcement system itself.

Young victims of war with lifelong effects

Ukraine’s school year began on September 1, with many first-graders holding welcome ceremonies in bomb shelters instead of classrooms. Kyiv authorities have asked schools to prepare for classes in shelters or online as part of a hybrid learning system.

For many students, repeated air raid alerts during Russia’s latest drone campaign are making it difficult to concentrate, socialize and gain hands-on experience.

“It should have been a great start to this school year, which I waited for with excitement,” said Masha, 14, whose school switched to remote learning. But lessons are still being canceled during air raid alerts.

“All I want to do is see my friends and teachers in real life,” she said, rather than through a laptop screen or not at all.

A study by expert Yelizarova found that 31.9% of school-age children experienced moderate stress during air raid alerts, while 13.9% experienced high levels of stress and anxiety. She cautioned, however, that the findings may not fully reflect the impact of the ongoing aerial campaign, which had recently entered its second week.

“Children develop behavioral patterns that will stay with them for the rest of their lives and will either help or hinder them in building relationships, working, learning, and simply living,” Yelizarova said. She added that children face an additional burden because they are highly sensitive to how the adults around them react.

Psychiatrist Lidiia Ivanchenko said children’s reactions vary. Her 7-year-old son, she said, “sleeps soundly at night because he knows his parents will take care of him when it’s time to go to the shelter.”

However, Ivanchenko said she has observed higher levels of anxiety and stress among children with pre-existing psychological conditions. Yelizarova’s study similarly found greater sensitivity to sounds such as air raid alerts among children with chronic illnesses or symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Trump envoys will reportedly visit Moscow before Kyiv

U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow and Kyiv this weekend for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, Axios reported, citing U.S. officials.

According to the report, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to travel to Moscow on Friday, September 4, where they will meet with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday. They are then expected to travel to Kyiv on Sunday, September 6, for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. U.S. and Ukrainian officials have been discussing the Kyiv visit for several months.

Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing for the envoys’ visit and will take steps to ensure their safe travel, including refraining from air strikes during the talks.

“Today, it has been clearly established that U.S. envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in the coming days,” Zelensky said in his evening address. “We discussed today that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Moscow and then Kyiv on Sunday.”

“We will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely. We are looking out for them, not for Russia,” Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine would not carry out air strikes during the visit and called on Russia to do the same for as long as necessary to hold the talks and manage logistical arrangements.

“There will be no air strikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no air strikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to this American visit,” Zelensky said.