Abnormal, Coordinated Flights Noticed In Russia; Presidential Jet and 'Doomsday' Plane Take Off

Amid U.S. concerns that Russia may use nuclear threats to project its strength and prevent NATO from intervening in Ukraine, military trackers have reported brisk aircraft activity in and around Russia. Though the number of flights wasn't unusually high, the coordinated nature of their take-off from the Moscow area was deemed abnormal.

The sorties in question were conducted by Russia's Rossiya Special Flight Detachment, a specialized unit that operates VIP aircraft, between March 17 and 18, reported The Drive, quoting data from online flight tracking software.

The report said Friday's operation included at least six planes from the Rossiya Special Flight Detachment departing from the Moscow area in relatively rapid succession. This included an Il-96-300PU presidential plane, a Russian equivalent to America's Air Force One, and the Il-96-400VPU, or the "doomsday plane" that can provide command and control for Russian nuclear forces in a crisis.

The doomsday planes are tasked to evacuate top officials in an emergency and are equipped with the technology to direct the armed forces in the event of a nuclear war.

These flights were made to unidentified locations within Russia, particularly to the east. While a few appeared to touch the ground and make landing approaches, a few others did go-arounds before heading back to Moscow. One of the flights, an Airbus A319-115CJ, flew west to St. Petersburg first before returning to base, the report added.

While a passenger transport aircraft flew to the Russian resort city of Sochi on the Black Sea via western Kazakhstan, another one of the Il-96-300s flew to Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan.

The presidential aircraft made a brief trip to the west before heading back to Moscow while the doomsay plane flew a racetrack orbit over the Moscow area for a time. Another plane, associated with Russia's spy agency Federal Security Service, was tracked flying west from the Moscow area to Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. Kaliningrad is a highly strategic but geographically separated enclave.

Thursday, too, saw several significant aircraft making a similar sortie.

It isn't clear why such an exercise was held over two days despite analysts who track the Rossiya Special Flight Detachment's flight patterns maintaining that there was nothing unusual. The presence of the doomsday plane is significant considering Putin's presence at a massive rally on that day.

There are other theories that the sorties resemble a strategic drill aimed at demonstrating Russia's continuity of government plans. The locations in Siberia where a number of the aircraft flew Thursday reportedly hold several underground bunkers that Russia's top leadership might flee to in the event of a crisis. Besides Sochi, one of the destinations is within 100 miles of Putin's Palace at Cape Idokopas, the report added.