The aircraft delivered Russian diplomats, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said
A passenger plane belonging to the ‘Rossiya’ special flight squadron was sent to the US to deliver Russian diplomats as part of a scheduled rotation procedure, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
Earlier, several Russian Telegram channels, citing FlightRadar data, reported that the government plane had spent two days on US soil, prompting speculation online about the flight’s purpose and whether it could be connected to potential talks between Moscow and Washington.
‘Rossiya’ aircraft are commonly reserved for high-ranking Russian officials and Kremlin pool journalists. The squadron’s planes were deployed earlier this year, when Russia and the US exchanged a total of 26 individuals held in several countries, in the largest prisoner swap of its kind since the Cold War.
The latest flight was conducted by a Russian Il-96-300 last week. The aircraft took off from St. Petersburg airport on December 25, headed to Moscow, then flew to Washington via New York, and returned to Moscow via New York on December 28.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, Zakharova said the purpose of the flight was “another rotation of diplomats.”
In October, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, finished his term in office and returned to Moscow. Later, Kommersant reported that the post would be held by the head of the ministry’s North America Department Aleksandr Darchiev, who had previously served as Russian envoy to Canada.
The Foreign Ministry has not specified when the new ambassador will arrive in Washington. Last week, Zakharova said the new envoy was still in Moscow.
Relations between Moscow and Washington went downhill after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022.
The countries have repeatedly expelled each other’s diplomats in recent years. In 2017, the US ordered the shutdown of the Russian Consulate in San Francisco, as well as the properties of Russia’s trade mission in Washington and New York. Moscow has responded by demanding the closure of the American Consulate in St. Petersburg. In 2020, the US suspended the work of two of its remaining consulates in Russia.
