US Air Force C-17 Plane Lands In Moscow, Purpose Unknown

A US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III landed at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport on Tuesday after flying from Riga, Latvia, according to flight-tracking data.

The aircraft, identified by aircraft serial number 07-7181 and callsign RCH4555, departed Riga at about 8:50 a.m. Moscow time and reached Vnukovo around 10:04 a.m., according to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft landed at about 0700 GMT.

What Does Russia Say?

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had no information about the US military aircraft that arrived in Moscow.

“There is no information,” Peskov told reporters, according to Russian state media. He also said the Kremlin had no meetings planned this week with representatives of the US administration.

Peskov nevertheless said Moscow remained ready for talks on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

What Do We Know About The Flight?

The C-17 arrived in Riga on Sunday, having flown from Camp Springs, Maryland, near Washington, according to Flightradar24 data.

Reuters said it could not verify whether the aircraft was carrying passengers or cargo. There has been no public US explanation of its mission.

The flight is notable because the last direct flight by a US-registered aircraft from Europe to Russia took place in January, when special presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.

Why Was It In Moscow?

The purpose of Tuesday's flight has not been publicly established.

The arrival comes as US-Russia talks on Ukraine remain stalled, according to Reuters. The Kremlin also said last week that it had no information about another possible Moscow visit by Witkoff and Kushner.

For now, the C-17's presence in Moscow is confirmed, but its passengers, cargo and mission remain unclear.