2023-06-28 06:56:15
Aircraft from Russia have been a rarity in the Western Hemisphere since February 24, 2022, the day Russian forces invaded Ukraine. A few days following the start of the Ukraine war, the NATO countries and their allies banned all Russian aircraft from their airspace. Since then, there have only been exceptions to this rule in special cases – for example, for special cargo flights or to pick up expelled Russian diplomats. Flights by Russian UN delegations to New York have also been among these exceptions in the past.
The Ilyushin Il-96-300 of the Russian Government Fleet en route to Washington DC, southwest of Iceland. Screenshot from the Flightradar24 tracking app.
From Moscow to Washington DC
But when a Russian government jet makes its way to the US capital Washington DC, it always causes a stir. Especially when no official reason for such a flight is apparent at first glance, because initially nothing was officially known regarding a possible reason. Nevertheless, the Ilyushin Il-96-300 with the registration number RA-96018 made its way across the pond on Tuesday morning in Moscow-Vnukovo. The 16-year-old aircraft had to avoid EU territory and headed north from Moscow before finally heading north of Murmansk to the USA. Later, the Ilyushin flew south of Iceland. According to the Flightradar24 tracking app, they arrived at Washington Dulles Airport shortly following 2 p.m. local time. The Il-96 was in the air for eleven hours and 41 minutes.
Getty Images
Russia’s government aviation operates a total of ten Il-96s, four of which are configured as Il-96-300PU flying command posts (photo). The RA-96018 is not one of them.
speculation and rumours
At Flightradar24, the journey of RA-96018 with flight number RSD898 was one of the most followed flights of the day – although the Ilyushin’s transponder signal, and thus its route, was only reproduced in fragments. Meanwhile, on Twitter and other social media, users speculated hotly regarding the possible reason for the flight. Negotiations in the Ukraine war? Taxi home for expelled diplomats? The last time a Russian government plane flew to Washington was more than a year ago: in early March 2022, the Il-96-300, registration number RA-96019, picked up Russian officials identified by the US government as… “spies” had been expelled from the country.
The solution to the riddle
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova spoke up on Tuesday followingnoon and explained what flight RSD898 was all regarding. According to her, RA-96018 is actually picking up Russian diplomats in Washington. They were instructed by the US authorities to leave the country following a three-year stay in the United States. Zakharova emphasized that in this case it was not a case of deportation, but of work restrictions that Washington had created for Russian diplomatic missions abroad.
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