A Russian Ilyushin Il-96-300, registered as RA-96018, landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport around 9:40 AM. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the flight was granted a special permit to transport expelled Russian diplomats.
The exact number of officials flown out on this flight has not been disclosed. However, the Russian embassy in Germany has expressed outrage over the rapid expulsion of over 150 Russian personnel and their families from the country.
Context
- The expulsion of Russian diplomats occurred in response to Russia’s alleged attempt to sabotage a Ukrainian aircraft at Leipzig airport.
- A drone was detected near the Ukrainian cargo plane Antonov An-124-100 “Ruslan” on the night of August 5.
- The security systems did not trigger an explosion, as the bomb was equipped with a faulty detonator, leading to the failure of the sabotage attempt.
- On September 1, German authorities officially accused Russia of orchestrating the sabotage and decided to close the Russian consulate in Bonn and the “Russian House” in Berlin in response to the provocation.
