The Plane "went Into A Holding Pattern": Putin Was Unable To Return To Moscow Immediately

• 9.10.2026, 22:17

A Ukrainian drone forced his plane to maneuver.

The return of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin from Ashgabat was not without incident. The plane on which he was flying was forced to perform an evasive maneuver in mid-air due to a drone threat.

The details were revealed by the Russian website “VChK-OGPU,” which is linked to the Russian Federation’s intelligence services.

It confirmed reports that aircraft from the “Rossiya” special flight squadron were forced to “circle” and hover hundreds of kilometers from Moscow. Landing was impossible due to “Plan Kover,” implemented in response to a raid by Ukrainian UAVs. The flight carrying Putin was no exception.

“Among them was the lead Il-96-300, carrying members of the Russian delegation and journalists returning from the CIS summit held in Ashgabat. This aircraft had to circle over the Yaroslavl region for nearly half an hour while awaiting landing clearance. Following it was the main aircraft, registration number 96020, with the president on board… “Upon entering the Vnukovo Air Traffic Control zone, the Ilyushin carrying Putin performed a maneuver toward the Tver Region due to a jet-powered UAV that had appeared in the Odintsovo area,” the news outlet reported.

According to the report, once the drone was destroyed, the plane carrying Putin turned around again and flew to Moscow, where it eventually landed safely. Huge traffic jams stretching for several kilometers formed near Vnukovo Airport because security forces had blocked the roads for the Kremlin leader’s motorcade.