US military transport aircraft lands at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport

A US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, identified by the registration number 07-7181 and call sign RCH4555, landed at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow on the morning of August 25, 2026. According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft departed from Riga, Latvia, at approximately 08:50 Moscow time and arrived in the Russian capital shortly after 10:00. The aircraft had originally arrived in Riga on August 23, having flown from Joint Base Andrews near Camp Springs, Maryland, a facility frequently used for US presidential transport.

While the appearance of the American military aircraft has attracted significant attention, it remains unclear whether the flight was carrying cargo or personnel. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated that the Russian presidency has no information regarding the aircraft or the purpose of its visit. Reuters reports were unable to verify the manifest of the flight.

The last known direct flight of a US-registered aircraft from Europe to Russia occurred in January of this year, when special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow for peace talks concerning Ukraine. The Kremlin noted last week that there is currently no information regarding a new visit by these envoys.