That’s behind it: Putin machine sighted on its way to Washington

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Political relations between the US and Russia have been very tense since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. While the United States condemns the invasion of Russian President Vladimir Putin (70) in the strongest possible terms and repeatedly promises billions in aid to Ukraine, the Kremlin boss never misses an opportunity to paint the enemy image of the United States.

It is therefore difficult to imagine the Kremlin visiting the US. This is what it looked like on Tuesday. According to Flightradar, a Russian special plane took off from Moscow to Washington on Tuesday morning. Reader reporters noticed the unusual start and contacted Blick. “America is getting visitors,” said one reader. Users also speculated on Twitter about the reason for the flight.

But what’s behind it? As “Aerotelegraph” reports, this is an aircraft of the special squadron of Russia. In just eleven hours, the Ilyushin Il-96 would have landed at Dulles International Airport near Washington just after 2 p.m. local time. Russia’s special aviation squadron is part of the Aeroflot subsidiary Rossiya, making it anything but an ordinary airline.

Only the oldest are allowed on board

Only the highest-ranking members of the Kremlin are allowed on board: only the Russian President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Federation Council and State Duma, as well as key members of the administration, courts and public delegations fly in the special jet.

But what was the plane doing in the US? As “The Independent” reports, the Ilyushin Il-96 had a very specific job. The plane was returning Russian diplomats to Moscow, a US State Department spokesman said. It is also said that Russia was allowed to fly. In return, however, Russia is expected to keep open the transport of diplomatic personnel and cargo to the embassy in Moscow. (dzc)

Source: Blick