Sanctioned Russian Aircraft Reportedly Carrying GRU Chief Lands in Israel Before Ukraine Talks

On 8 November, a Tupolev Tu-154M registered RA-85042 landed at Ben Gurion Airport after a four-hour flight from Chkalovsky Air Base, according to Defence Security Asia. World Israel News reported that the delegation arrived at approximately 7 p.m. on a Saturday evening, citing two sources who spoke to The Jerusalem Post. The two reports differ on the flight’s details: Defence Security Asia described a four-hour flight, while World Israel News gave the arrival time and did not mention the flight’s duration.

Defence Security Asia reported that the aircraft reportedly carried Admiral Igor Kostyukov, chief of Russia’s GRU military intelligence directorate, for a meeting with senior Israeli defence officials. World Israel News identified Kostyukov as head of the GRU, the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, and said he held meetings with senior Israeli defence officials during an unannounced visit. Defence Security Asia also reported that Kostyukov had attended President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, on 5 November. The report said that a GRU chief’s presence in Israel would place Israel–Russia contact at a higher level than the existing Syria deconfliction channel.

Both reports linked the visit to Russia–Ukraine negotiations. Defence Security Asia said the aircraft reportedly continued to Abu Dhabi, where US-mediated talks were scheduled to open on 10 November, and that a reported US request for the stop remains unconfirmed. World Israel News said the aircraft left Israel on Monday for Abu Dhabi, UAE, ahead of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations scheduled for November 10–11.

World Israel News reported that the US State Department sanctioned the 223rd Flight Unit over allegations that it transported personnel and equipment for the Wagner mercenary group. It said Washington designated 37 aircraft associated with the unit, including RA-85042, as blocked property on 19 May 2023 under Executive Order 14024, and that the aircraft is operated by a Russian Defense Ministry unit sanctioned by the US. Defence Security Asia said Washington had listed the airframe in 2023 as blocked property linked to the 223rd Flight Unit. The allegations about the unit’s activities are those reported by World Israel News and were not independently confirmed in the reports supplied, a distinction that calls for care in Israeli, US and Russian official accounts alike (Proverbs 18:17).

Neither report has established the purpose of the meetings or the issues discussed. Defence Security Asia said the Israeli military, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the Russian Embassy gave no public account of who travelled or what was discussed. World Israel News reported that the Russian Embassy declined to comment and that the IDF also declined to respond.