Reposted by @hey_itsmyturn from @DefenceGeek: An OSINT summary reports unusual U.S. Air Force movements to Moscow. On the morning of 2026-08-25, @ArmchairAdml picked up via ACARS @thebaldgeek that C-17A "REACH4555" was flying from Riga, Latvia to Moscow, Russia on a Secretary of Defence (SECDEF) support mission code, and it tracked all the way. The previous leg was from Andrews AFB (KADW) to Riga; @LouisDavidPhoto observed a number of diplomatic vehicles and the C-17 parked at Riga earlier, alongside a C-40 which had also flown from Andrews to Riga as "REACH790". Footage on Telegram from Moscow shows a US diplomatic convoy travelling with police escort from the direction of the airport. Russia is denying any knowledge of a US aircraft visiting the country, and the US has not commented.

Aircraft identifiers:

  • C-17A "REACH4555" 07-7181 #AE20C2
  • C-40B "REACH790" 02-0042 #AE11F8