Russian plane's unexpected visit to the US raises questions
It's a rare sight. On Thursday afternoon, a Russian government plane appeared over the USA. At 14:00 GMT, it took off from New York and flew to Washington. What was it doing in American airspace?
Almost two and a half years have passed since the war in Ukraine began. During this time, Western sanctions have remained unchanged, closing almost all airspace over countries supporting Ukraine to Russians.
Russian planes are not allowed to fly over Europe or the USA. However, there are occasional airspace violations.
On Thursday, 27 June, a Russian plane appeared over the USA. However, fighter jets were not scrambled. Why?
Russian plane over the USA. "It happens several times a year"
The Il-76 flew from Moscow. After 12 hours and 5 minutes, it reached New York, and then continued on to Washington, where it landed 55 minutes later.
"Not everyday you see a Russian government aircraft flying domestically in the US" - was posted on the Flightradar24 channel on X.
The post further explained that such flights "happen a few times per year." They aim to transfer Russian diplomatic personnel to the United Nations and the embassy in the USA.
