According to an X post by Open Source Intel, the aircraft was identified as a US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. It noted that the aircraft’s flight history included Camp Springs, Maryland, where Joint Base Andrews is located. The base hosts aircraft used by the US president. The purpose of the Moscow flight was unknown, and no official statement had been reported.

A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III has landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.

It flew in from Riga, Latvia, and its flight history includes Camp Springs, Maryland, where Joint Base Andrews is located. That base hosts the aircraft used by the U.S. President.

The purpose… pic.twitter.com/FmsYTVTctR

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 25, 2026

The Kremlin said it had no information about the flight. The aircraft had flown to Riga on August 23 from the US airbase at Camp Springs, near Washington, DC, according to Flightradar24 data.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe in Moscow

The identity of the US official who was in Moscow became clearer later on Tuesday, with CBS News reporting that CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in the Russian capital for meetings, citing sources familiar with the situation.

Ratcliffe’s visit came after the C-17 was spotted at the Moscow airport, along with a US diplomatic motorcade. Neither the US nor Russian governments had commented on the identity of the US official or the purpose of the visit. The CIA did not immediately comment, according to the report.

The trip reportedly appears to be Ratcliffe’s first known visit to Russia as CIA director, although he has maintained contact with Russian intelligence counterparts.

The CIA has also been involved in recent US-Russia detainee exchanges. Ratcliffe personally negotiated the April 2025 release of US-Russian dual national Ksenia Karelina, while the agency was involved in the 2024 prisoner exchange that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan, according to CBS News.

Former CIA Director William Burns travelled to Moscow in November 2021, when he met senior Russian officials and spoke directly with President Vladimir Putin to warn him against invading Ukraine, the report said.

The flight and Ratcliffe’s reported visit come amid uncertainty over the next round of US-Russia contacts on the Ukraine war. The report also mentioned that the US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine remain largely stalled, with the two sides still far apart on key issues.

The last direct flight by a US-registered aircraft from Europe to Russia took place in January, when it carried US special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the conflict in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said last week that it had no information on whether Witkoff and Kushner would make another trip to Moscow. US-Russia negotiations on Ukraine have largely stalled as the war in Iran has complicated the diplomatic landscape.