When President Vladimir V. Putin travels abroad — as he did this week to North Korea and Vietnam to strengthen alliances and cultivate security ties during Russia’s war in Ukraine — he typically travels aboard an outdated Soviet-designed Iraqi Er-96 series jets.
The Kremlin spokesman, whose latest trip came shortly after a plane crash killed two other world leaders, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi and Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima, argued that Recently it has been necessary to reassure the Russian public that Putin’s aircraft are “very reliable”.
Although Aeroflot has ditched the Ilyushin models in favor of newer Western models – neither Aeroflot and Aeroflot, the country’s two largest carriers, currently list any Ilyushins in their commercial airliners. Shen aircraft – but Mr Putin appears to be steadfast in his commitment.
In 2023, Putin took a whirlwind day trip in an IL-96, accompanied by fighter jets, to hold talks with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Earlier that year, another plane from the government’s Il-96 fleet was spotted parked at Washington and New York airports to pick up Russian diplomats who the Kremlin said had been ordered to leave the United States.
In 2018, Putin flew an Il-96 to Finland for a summit with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump and was accused of briefly invading NATO airspace.
Little is known about the Russian Special Flying Squadron, also known as the 235th Independent Aviation Detachment, which is responsible for the Kremlin’s aircraft, including Il-96s, Tu-214 aircraft and Mi-38 helicopters. Russian state media reported that the unit has 2,500 employees.
While the use of outdated aircraft may be confusing to outsiders, Putin’s use of Soviet-designed aircraft may be an attempt to send a message of Russia’s resilience and strength.
“It was the czar’s idea,” said Adam Taichi Kraft, a former intelligence collection strategist at the Defense Intelligence Agency who now consults on national security issues. Send it to the sky.
