US Air Force C-17 Lands in Moscow
US Air Force C-17 Lands in Moscow
The News
A U.S. Air Force transport plane landed in Moscow early Tuesday, and neither Washington nor the Kremlin will say why.
Flight-tracking data showed a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III taking off from Riga, Latvia — a NATO member — and arriving at Vnukovo airport on the outskirts of Moscow, according to Newsweek. Reuters reported the Kremlin said it had no information about the flight.
The plane's publicly available schedule listed no destination, Newsweek reported. A spokesman for U.S. European Command said he had no information to offer when asked about the tracking data on Tuesday.
Timeline
Flight data show the aircraft was recently at Camp Springs, Maryland, home to Joint Base Andrews, which supports presidential and senior U.S. government travel, ZeroHedge reported, citing Flightradar24.
The C-17 landed in Riga, Latvia, according to Flightradar24 data cited by ZeroHedge. Newsweek reported the aircraft had arrived in Latvia from Camp Springs.
Flightradar24 posted on X: "An unusual visitor to Moscow this morning. A US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III flew from Riga to Moscow Vnukovo Airport."
Reuters reported the Kremlin said it had no information yet on the landing. Russian business outlet RBC and Russian state news agency TASS both reported that a U.S. military transport aircraft had landed at Vnukovo.
Reactions
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday there were no plans to meet with U.S. administration officials in Moscow this week, according to comments cited by state media and reported by Newsweek.
U.S. European Command offered nothing. Its spokesman told Newsweek he had no information about the tracking data.
TASS, citing a source within EU air traffic control authorities, reported the plane had originally flown from Andrews Air Force Base to Latvia and then continued toward the Russian border, and that it had visited Charleston Airport before that.
ZeroHedge, which flagged the flight under the headline "US Air Force C-17 Makes Mysterious Visit To Moscow," speculated the trip could indicate support for a senior U.S. delegation, the transportation of diplomatic cargo or a prisoner transfer. No U.S. agency has confirmed any of those.
What's Next
There has been no official confirmation from the United States about the C-17's landing in Moscow, ZeroHedge reported. Until the Pentagon, U.S. European Command or the State Department says what the plane was carrying, the purpose of the flight is unconfirmed.
Newsweek said the story is still developing.
More
C-17As are transport aircraft used to move troops or cargo between bases and other military sites, Newsweek noted. Vnukovo is one of the major international hubs on the outskirts of Moscow.
Reader poll suggestion: What was the C-17 doing in Moscow — diplomacy, cargo, or a prisoner swap?
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