Media: Russian Officials And Oligarchs Are "Flooding" Into Turkey
- 15.10.2026, 17:16
Some people are unable to return to the Russian Federation.
Bad weather in Turkey has complicated the Russian elite’s vacations during the “velvet season.” As noted by “We Can Explain”, several planes used by politicians and businesspeople in Putin’s inner circle landed in Turkey in October, and not all of them managed to return.
VEB head Igor Shuvalov may have been stranded in Turkey. He flies a Bombardier Global 6000 business jet (registration number RA-67777, pictured on the right). On October 7, this jet took off from Moscow and headed toward Turkey. As it approached Georgia, the aircraft turned off its transponders, and its subsequent route was hidden from tracking services. However, Shuvalov’s jet followed the same flight path in July and August when it flew to Bodrum, Turkey.
Meanwhile, Putin’s friend Boris Rotenberg managed to take a vacation in Turkey without any flooding. His Bombardier Global 5000, with tail number RA-73545, returned to Russia from Dalaman on October 9. He spent four days in Turkey. Oligarch Oleg Deripaska also managed to return home: his Dassault Falcon, registration number RA-09618, flew from Dalaman to Moscow on October 12.
On October 10, the plane used by the Medvedev family arrived in Turkey. It was a Bombardier Global 5000 business jet with registration number RA-67226. According to data from the ADS-B Exchange service, it departed from Istanbul the next day and turned off its transponders during the flight. According to Airport-Data, the aircraft is registered to the ex-president’s wife Svetlana Medvedeva; according to leaks from the FSB border service, the son of the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council Ilya Medvedev flew on it.
On the night of October 15, Istanbul and the surrounding area were flooded following heavy downpours. The bad weather disrupted airport operations, leaving Russian tourists stranded. Some have been unable to fly out for more than a day.