A U.S. Military Transport Plane Landed in Moscow. The Kremlin Claims It Doesn’t Know Anything About It.

By Reuters Aug. 25, 2026 Tomás Del Coro (CC BY-SA 4.0) A U.S. military transport plane landed at Moscow's Vnukovo airport on Tuesday, data from the flight tracking service Flightradar24 showed. The large Boeing Globemaster with the U.S. registered tail number 07-7181 had flown directly from Riga in Latvia and landed in Moscow. Reuters was unable to verify whether it carried any cargo or passengers. The Kremlin said it had no information on the plane. The aircraft had arrived in Riga on Aug. 23 from Camp Springs airbase near Washington, D.C., data from Flightradar24 showed. The last direct flight of a U.S. registered jet to Russia from Europe took place in January, carrying special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner for peace talks with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. The Kremlin said last week that there was no information yet on another visit to Moscow by Kushner and Witkoff, as talks between the U.S. and Russia on Ukraine have largely stalled amid the war in Iran. Read more about: United States Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more U.S. Jails Russian Businessman for Smuggling Military-Grade Electronics Maxim Marchenko, who lived and operated several companies in Hong Kong, was arrested in September and pleaded guilty to smuggling and money laundering... 1 Min read Russian Antivirus Firm Kaspersky to Wind Down U.S. Operations The company, which provides a popular antivirus software, has been operating in the U.S. for nearly two decades. 1 Min read U.S. Man Jailed in Russia Says Being Tortured by Fellow Inmates Robert Gilman claimed that his cellmates in a Voronezh penal colony regularly disturbed his sleep, took away his clothes and beat him. 1 Min read Kremlin Officials Wishing for a Trump Victory — While Claiming Otherwise With his surprise support for Biden in February, Putin was actually trying to harm the Democratic candidate, Russian officials told The Moscow Times. 5 Min read