They weren’t alone in saying planes should not fly over the war zone area.....
WASHINGTON (AP) The Federal Aviation Administration had warned U.S. pilots earlier this year not to fly over portions of the Ukraine in the Crimea region, according to notices posted on the agency’s website.
The notices were posted on April 23. The U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization and the aviation authorities in most countries issue ‘similar notices for areas where unrest or military conflict creates a risk of being shot down.’
Scroll down in the Daily Mail article and you will see the No Fly Zone and that zone does not cover Donetsk. It is further south over Crimea.