🇷🇺🇮🇱 An aircraft of the Russian Ministry of Defense landed at Ben Gurion Airport - the purpose of the visit is still unknown.
The Tu-154M belonging to the Russian Ministry of Defense, with registration number RA-85042, landed at Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday evening at around 19:01.
According to flight tracking data, the plane took off from Cheklovsky Air Base. It belongs to the 223rd air unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense and is under US sanctions.
At the moment, it is not known who the passengers were and what the purpose of the visit was.
Reports of the evacuation of Russian diplomats and their families from Israel have not been confirmed. Currently, there are no sources linking this flight to an evacuation operation. The IDF refused to comment, and the Russian Embassy and the Russian Foreign Ministry have not yet provided an explanation for the landing.
The landing is certainly unusual, but there is currently no confirmation that it is a diplomatic evacuation.