At first glance, Tuesday morning was just another one in the Geneva international airport. Short-haul planes, executives returning from London, tourists heading to the Alps. However, the arrivals panel highlighted an unusual origin in Western Europe since 2022: Moscow-Vnukovo.
Shortly before midnight on Monday, an Ilyushin Il-96 belonging to the Kremlin’s special flight squadron took off towards Switzerland. On board, the Russian delegation that was to participate in a new round of talks with Ukraine, this time with American mediation. The destination was Geneva, but the journey was far from direct.
A journey full of curves
In normal times, the shortest route between Moscow and Switzerland would cross Belarus, Poland and Germany before heading into Swiss airspace. But the war has turned the European sky into a diplomatic board.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, numerous European countries closed their airspace to Russian aircraft, especially those linked to the State. Poland has been particularly firm. After recent incidents with Russian drones and fighters near its airspace, Warsaw reiterated that it will not authorize the overflight of official flights from Moscow.
The result was a detour of thousands of kilometers.
The plane – registration RA-96018 – He first headed south from Moscow, passing through Türkiye, a member of NATO but which maintains a more ambivalent position towards Russia. From there it continued towards the eastern Mediterranean, skirting the coast of Egypt.
Only then did it turn northwest towards Italy. It crossed practically the entire Italian peninsula before approaching the Swiss border at Bellinzona. The journey, in geographical terms, was a parable that carefully avoided several European airspaces closed to Russia.
Over the Alps before landing
Once in Swiss space, the Il-96 did not immediately descend towards Geneva. It followed the Leventina Valley, crossed the Alpine heartland and turned west. It flew over areas near Lakes Brienz and Thun before heading towards Lake Geneva. At 6:47 in the morning, after briefly crossing French airspace, The device landed on runway 22 of the Geneva International Airport.
The flight operated under the callsign RSD150, usual for the special squadron that transports senior officials of the Russian State. This same model, the Ilyushin Il-96, is sometimes used by the Russian president himself on official trips.
Diplomacy in times of closed skies
The aerial scene reflects the political moment. The delegations of Russia and Ukraine meet in Geneva after two previous rounds in Abu Dhabi that did not make substantial progress. Washington is pressing to accelerate a negotiating framework, while Moscow insists that the central axis must be the occupied territory.
The simple fact that an official Russian plane has to describe a route that passes through Türkiye, Egypt and Italy to reach Switzerland illustrates the degree of aerial isolation imposed on Moscow in Europe.
War is not only fought on the front lines or at the negotiating tables. It also manifests itself in air corridors:
- Spaces closed for political and security reasons
- Diplomatic permits managed on a case-by-case basis
- Longer, more expensive and complex routes
- On the map, the route looks like a cartographic whim. In reality, it is the reflection of a fractured international architecture
While ceasefire lines and possible territorial concessions are discussed in the Geneva conference rooms, the journey of the Il-96 leaves a symbolic image: Even to talk about peace, the Kremlin must take a detour.
