Ukraine-Russia war latest: Mystery as US military plane lands in Moscow with no explanation from Kremlin or Trump

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Mystery as US military plane lands in Moscow with no explanation from Kremlin or Trump Kyiv has increasingly targeted online retail logistics centres, accusing them of providing support to the Russian armed forces A mystery US military transport aircraft has landed at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, Flightradar24 data shows. The large US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III - a heavy transport plane, designed for carrying troops and military equipment - took off from Riga, Latvia, this morning before flying across the border into Russian airspace. When asked, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he did not have information about the aircraft. The Globemaster III had arrived in Riga on August 23 from the US Camp Springs airbase near Washington DC, data from Flightradar24 showed. The last direct flight of a US registered jet to Russia from Europe took place in January this year, when special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held peace talks with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. This comes after Andy Burnham offered Ukraine the UK’s unwavering support “despite Russia’s outrageous threats to my country” during his trip to Kyiv. “This is the moment to keep up the pressure on Russia. The moment to squeeze their ability to fund this illegal war," the PM said, calling for further economic sanctions. Kremlin blasts Finnish support for long-range strikes on Russia 'escalatory' The Kremlin has accused Finland’s president of being a “representative of the party of war” after he called Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory a “sensible military strategy.” President Alexander Stubb told a news conference in Kyiv on Monday that Ukraine's partners must help it expand its ability to strike deeply inside Russia, arguing that the attacks increase the cost of war for the regime. Asked about the remarks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused the Finnish leader, along with Andy Burnham, of wanting the war in Ukraine to continue. He said: “This evokes no other reaction apart from surprise given that just a few weeks earlier the Finnish president had spoken of the need to normalise relations with Russia sooner or later. “But now we see that escalatory rhetoric has prevailed after all. “Mr Stubb is also a prominent representative of the ‘party of war’ alongside the British prime minister. “They are deceiving their voters by claiming that it is possible to defeat Russia - it's a huge deception - and they appear to be refusing to heed the realities on the ground.” One killed and 123 injured in major fire at Russian petrochemical plant One person has been killed and 123 others wounded in a major fire at a petrochemical facility in Russia’s Far East. Flames broke out at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC), near the town of Svobodny, close to the border with China, earlier today. AGCC said it began in an auxiliary processing area of the pyrolysis unit, while pro-war Telegram channels speculated Ukrainian sabotage. In a statement on its website, the company confirmed that a Chinese national employed by a contractor has died. As many as 19 people have been taken to hospital, with their injuries ranging from moderate to severe, AGCC said. The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated. Mystery US military aircraft lands in Moscow A US military transport aircraft has touched down in Moscow, data from Flightradar24 shows. The US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III transport plane took off from Riga, Latvia, this morning before flying across the border into Russian airspace. It remains unclear whether it carried any cargo or passengers. The Kremlin said it had no information on the plane. The aircraft had arrived in Riga on August 23 from the US Camp Springs airbase near Washington DC, data from Flightradar24 showed. The last direct flight of a US registered jet to Russia from Europe took place in January this year, carrying special envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner for peace talks with Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. US-made Patriot interceptors delivered to Ukraine, Zelensky says Ukraine has recently received a small batch of US-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed. The country also got confirmation of future supplies of the French Crotale surface-to-air missile system, the president was quoted as saying by broadcaster Suspilne. He did not say how many had arrived, or who had supplied them. Ex-US special envoy for Ukraine calls for mobilisation of women Ukraine should mobilise women in its fight against Russia as they “fight no worse than men,” a former US special envoy has urged. Keith Kellogg told the Naspravdi MAX YouTube channel: “Do I believe women should be mobilised into the army? “My answer is yes, because they fight no worse than men.” This comes just days after former defence minister Oleksii Reznikov also said that the government should consider a universal conscription model. Pointing to Israel as an example where women serve alongside men, he said: “That immediately would double our mobilisation resource. “Then you can clearly see which military positions and specialties can easily be filled by women - they don’t have to go to the battlefield. “They fill many rear positions, logistics and support, and men can be moved from rear positions closer to the front. “The question is whether society is ready to say, like Israel, that we can survive only if everyone accepts that they must defend Ukraine.” Burnham considers US trip to lobby for extra Ukraine support Andy Burnham is likely to travel to New York next month to lobby Donald Trump to supply Ukraine with Patriot air-defence missiles ahead of the winter. “I’m looking forward to going to New York in September,” the prime minister told Bloomberg while still in Kyiv on Monday evening. He was referring to the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York, which would be his first trip to the US since entering Number 10. Burnham added that he has not fully confirmed the details yet but “it is likely” that he will go. “Leaving today, I’m quite clear what I need to do in the next few weeks,” he said. Kremlin says any NATO troop deployment in Ukraine would be unacceptable The Kremlin has again rejected any possible deployment of NATO troops in Ukraine, saying it would be “unacceptable” to Russia. Asked to comment on the possibility of a multinational contingent deploying in Ukraine, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has repeatedly stated its opposition to any such moves. It comes after the Coalition of the Willing, which was convened last night in Kyiv and chaired by Andy Burnham, again reiterated such plans after the end of the war. A statement said: “The Coalition would continue to prepare the Multinational-Force Ukraine to deploy once a credible cessation of hostilities was in place, as part of a wider set of robust politically and legally binding security guarantees to ensure Ukraine’s future security and prosperity once a ceasefire enters into force.” Russian denies plans to mobilise 300,000 soldiers in September The Kremlin has denied plans to mobilise an additional 300,000 soldiers in September. Last week, Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia is readying to draft more troops to reinforce its positions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov branded the warning as “fake news, deliberately planted [by Ukraine]”. “This is all being planted by the Ukrainian authorities,” he told Russian channel RTVI. “Naturally, the regime is trying to ideologically destabilise the situation in our country.” The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and The New York Times (NYT), citing US and Western officials, also reported that Russia could conduct a new mobilisation after the State Duma elections. In pictures: Smoke billows from from Ozon warehouse as Ukraine widens drone campaign Putin readying 'widespread nationalisation' to generate war cash, ISW warns Vladimir Putin is readying a raid on Russian private assets under the broad pretext of defending critical infrastructure against Ukrainian strikes - but likely in part to generate additional cash for the war, according to new analysis. In their latest assessment, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned against the Kremlin’s “widespread nationalisation”. Under a decree signed by the president on August 24, the Russian government can seize “critical infrastructure facilities” that fail to protect their assets, including against drone strikes. This includes any fuel, energy, industrial, communications, utilities, transport, or essential services facilities, and essentially allows the Kremlin to seize any enterprise of its choice, the ISW explained. “The decree allows the Russian government to assume ‘temporary management’ over critical facilities that can end only at Putin’s personal discretion, setting conditions for Russia’s indefinite seizure of private assets,” the assessment said. It added: “The ISW has repeatedly assessed that Putin is becoming increasingly desperate for economic relief as the financial cost of the war in Ukraine rises and is likely setting conditions for the broader nationalisation of private assets to support state revenues.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks