A special Tu-214PU aircraft of the "Russia" flight squadron departed from Moscow's Vnukovo airport, repeating part of the trajectory of a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III military transport aircraft. This is evidenced by data from the Flightradar24 monitoring resource.
The Tu-214PU control aircraft (registration number RA-64534), operating flight RSD979, headed towards St. Petersburg.
However, after passing through the Leningrad and Pskov regions, the airliner made a U-turn and returned to its point of origin, completing a circular flight. The aircraft has now successfully landed in Vnukovo.
Earlier on August 25, a heavy military transport Boeing C-17A Globemaster III was recorded in the same air corridor. It arrived from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington via Riga. Media reported that CIA Director John Ratcliffe arrived in Moscow.