tech
February 17, 2026
See the incredible route a Russian delegation's plane took to Geneva
A plane belonging to the fleet of the Special Flight Detachment "Russia", a unit responsible for transporting top state officials and delegations from Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) to Geneva (GVA), turned into a nine-hour journey around Europe, despite the direct air route between the two cities being only about 2,400 kilometers.

TL;DR
- A Russian state aviation flight (RSD150) from Moscow to Geneva took 9 hours and 13 minutes, covering 7,700-8,000 km.
- The direct flight distance between Moscow and Geneva is approximately 2,400 km and usually takes 3-3.5 hours.
- The flight path involved a large detour southeast of Russia, through Georgia and the eastern Mediterranean, entering EU airspace only via Italy.
- This route completely bypassed the airspace of the Baltic states, Poland, Germany, and most EU members.
- The detour was reportedly to avoid the airspace of 'enemy countries'.
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