A U.S. Air Force military cargo plane landed Tuesday at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport after taking off from Riga, the capital of Latvia. According to flight tracking data published by NBC News, it’s not yet known who was aboard the aircraft or what the purpose of its arrival in Russia was. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about the unusual landing and said he had no information on the matter. Officials at the U.S. military, the White House, the American embassy in Moscow, and the Russian embassy in Washington also did not provide immediate comment in response to inquiries.
According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft is a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, which landed at Vnukovo shortly after 10:00 a.m. Moscow time. The plane took off from Riga about two hours earlier, after departing Sunday afternoon from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, near Washington, and continuing from there to Latvia. C-17s are used by the U.S. Air Force for a wide range of transport missions, including moving troops, equipment and vehicles, as well as for logistical and humanitarian missions and to support visits by senior officials.
At this stage, there is no confirmation that the plane was carrying a diplomatic delegation, prisoners, or any specific cargo. Against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between Washington and Moscow, the landing of an American military aircraft in the Russian capital is considered unusual, and the reason for its arrival remains unclear at this time.