US Military Aircraft Lands In Moscow, Kremlin Says It Was Unaware Of Flight

A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday, according to flight-tracking data, but the Kremlin said it had no information about the aircraft’s arrival.

The Boeing Globemaster, carrying a US-registered tail number, flew to Moscow from Riga, Latvia, at around 0700 GMT, Reuters reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were no plans for meetings with US administration representatives in Russia this week.

Flight data showed the aircraft had arrived in Riga on August 23 from Camp Springs, near Washington, DC, after departing Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday afternoon. The military base is regularly used by the US president and senior officials for official travel.

The arrival has sparked speculation because US-registered aircraft rarely travel to Russia. The last such flight from Europe to Russia was in January, when US special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine conflict.

The C-17 is designed to transport troops and heavy military equipment over long distances, prompting theories about the purpose of its unexpected Moscow visit. Some reports have suggested it could be linked to a diplomatic mission or a possible prisoner exchange, following the release of former US Marine Robert Gilman earlier this month and previous exchanges between Washington and Moscow.

With Russia-Ukraine peace talks remaining stalled, the aircraft’s arrival has also fueled speculation that a discreet diplomatic channel may still be active. However, neither Washington nor Moscow has publicly confirmed the purpose of the flight.