Russian government Ilyushin Il-96 takes indirect route to Cologne/Bonn

A Russian government Ilyushin Il-96 flew from Moscow to Cologne/Bonn on a route that avoided several countries' airspace, according to a report on the flight. The aircraft, registration RA-96018, belongs to Russia's special government flight unit. It departed Moscow-Vnukovo from runway 06 at around 4am local time on Wednesday, 16 September.

Instead of flying direct over Poland, it headed toward St Petersburg and the Gulf of Finland, then turned out over the sea near Ust-Luga. It routed around Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, passing to the left of Gotland and to the right of Bornholm, before reaching the German mainland near Rügen. It was expected at Cologne/Bonn shortly before 10am.

Russian government flights to Germany have been rare since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Poland has said it will not allow flights carrying Russian government members over its territory, citing repeated appearances of Russian drones in Polish airspace. The Baltic states have said the same. The direct route was therefore unavailable.

The purpose of the flight has not been made public. The report suggests the aircraft was likely sent to collect staff from the Russian consulate in Bonn, after Berlin announced countermeasures, including measures affecting the Russian consulate general, following an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport that has been attributed to Russia.