It’s the question of the day, eclipsing even the looming trade war with Canada, the remains of the Epstein files, and the whereabouts of Mitch McConnell:

What is that U.S. military transport plane doing at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, who is its principal passenger, and what is going on behind the Kremlin gates?

First reports are saying the man of the hour is CIA Director John Ratcliffe . . . though the Kremlin has yet to comment on the presence of the plane itself, let alone its purpose. In Washington, a “person with knowledge of the matter” confirmed that it was Ratcliffe, but declined further comment. [Dan De Luce, et al., NBC News, August 25, 2026.]

The White House has also failed to respond to media inquiries. All we really know from flight tracking data is that the Boeing Globemaster departed U.S. Air Force Base Andrews in Washington on Sunday, flew to Riga, Latvia, and then on to Moscow, landing around 10:00 a.m. local time today.

And that, of course, leads to all sorts of speculation. Could this, at last, signify a break in the stalemate on negotiations for a settlement of the war in Ukraine? Are we about to see another significant prisoner swap involving American citizens being held on political charges? Is Vladimir Putin about to defect to the United States?

Just kidding about that last one, obviously. But either of the other two would be incredible news. Or it could be something entirely different.

As always, while we await updates, we can only hope for the best.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/25/26