A US military aircraft landed at Russia's Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday, with the Kremlin saying that it has no information about the aircraft or its arrival.
This comes at a time when tensions between Washington and Moscow are high over the Ukraine conflict.
According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft, a US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III, flew from Riga in Latvia to Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.
The C-17 Globemaster III, manufactured by Boeing, is a transport aircraft primarily used by the US Air Force for long-distance transportation of personnel, military equipment, and various cargo.
Flight tracking data showed that the US aircraft, with callsign RCH4555 and bearing registration 07-7181, took off from Riga at around 8.50 am and landed in Moscow minutes after 10 am. The purpose of the aircraft's rare and unusual flight to Moscow was not immediately clear.
{{/usCountry}}Flight tracking data showed that the US aircraft, with callsign RCH4555 and bearing registration 07-7181, took off from Riga at around 8.50 am and landed in Moscow minutes after 10 am. The purpose of the aircraft's rare and unusual flight to Moscow was not immediately clear.
{{/usCountry}}Neither the US nor Russia has issued any statement so far. However, the Kremlin told Reuters that it had no information on the aircraft.
What we know
The aircraft's flight history shows that it arrived in Riga on August 23 after departing Camp Springs in the US. Camp Springs is home to the Andrews Air Force Base, one of the United States’ key military bases that houses the US President's Air Force One.
The sudden arrival of the heavy-lift military transport aircraft in Russia has sparked several theories online, but nothing is clear. The Andrews Air Force Base is the main hub for the air transport of senior US government officials. However, the arrival of the aircraft doesn't automatically mean that a senior US official was on board. Such aircraft have previously been used to transport personnel, vehicles, communications equipment, and other logistical support ahead of official visits by senior officials.
Speculation about US defence secretary Pete Hegseth travelling to Moscow has been circulating for some time now. Hegseth’s supposed visit, which hasn't been confirmed by either the Department of Defence or the White House, is seen as an effort to restart diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Negotiations between the US and Russia to end the Ukraine conflict have effectively stalled as Donald Trump shifted his attention towards the Iran war. Several reports emerged last week that US and European officials have prepared a new proposal for Moscow.
However, according to a report by War and Military News, the Globemaster's arrival could be linked to the anticipated visit of US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Moscow for another round of talks on the war in Ukraine.
The last direct flight by a US jet to Russia was in January this year, when Witkoff and Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, visited Moscow for peace talks with Vladimir Putin.
Putin had refused to budge from his demand at the time that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region to end the conflict.