Putin’s Return Flight Disrupted by Drone Attack That Closed Moscow Airports

Flight-tracking data showed Russian government aircraft circling over the capital and diverting to St. Petersburg as airport operations were suspended

A wave of Ukrainian drone activity that forced the temporary closure of Moscow’s airports on Friday disrupted the return of President Vladimir Putin from a summit in Turkmenistan, creating unusual movements among aircraft used by the Russian government.

FlightRadar24 data reviewed by The New York Times showed several state aircraft approaching the Russian capital as airport operations were halted. While airspace restrictions remained in place, some of the planes entered holding patterns over the region, while others were sent elsewhere before eventually reaching Moscow.

The disruption coincided with Putin’s return from Turkmenbashi, a port city on the Caspian Sea where leaders of former Soviet states had gathered for a summit. The Russian president arrived there on Thursday evening, but it remains unclear which aircraft carried him back to Russia.

The uncertainty stems in part from the security procedures surrounding the presidential fleet. Putin travels aboard specially configured Il-96-300PU aircraft capable of serving as airborne command-and-control centers, allowing state leadership functions to continue even in the event of a nuclear conflict. The aircraft, widely known as the “Flying Kremlin,” typically operates alongside identical planes used as decoys.

According to FlightRadar24 records, three of those aircraft departed Turkmenbashi on Friday afternoon. Their takeoff came after the Russian state news agency Tass reported that Putin had left the city and begun the journey home.

As the first two aircraft entered Moscow airspace, both began making extended circular patterns instead of proceeding directly to a landing. The maneuvers occurred while all four airports serving the capital had been shut down because of the Ukrainian drone attack.

A third aircraft that departed later followed a different route. Flight-tracking data showed it diverting to St. Petersburg before subsequently continuing on to Moscow once conditions allowed.

A video cited by The New York Times showed Putin arriving in Turkmenistan the previous day aboard a presidential aircraft bearing tail number 96025 beneath the wing. FlightRadar24 data identified that same aircraft as the one that diverted to St. Petersburg before completing the trip to the Russian capital.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)