Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in India shortly, and his visit has already triggered major national and international attention due to the rare and highly confidential security protocol in place. Putin is travelling in a fleet that includes two identical IL-96-300PU aircraft, designed with matching exterior and radar signatures so that no one can determine which aircraft he is actually onboard. The second aircraft acts as a decoy flight to confuse potential threats, with both planes flying simultaneously and appearing indistinguishable from each other.
According to sources, the two aircraft took off together and maintained the same route, alternating radar visibility to enhance security. At times, one plane shows up on radar while the other switches off, and occasionally both disappear entirely, a security tactic adopted amid the Russia-Ukraine war and strained relations with European nations. When the aircraft entered Kazakh airspace, the decoy drill intensified, with the planes identified as RSD221 and RSD369 flying close to each other, making it nearly impossible to detect which one carries the Russian President.
The IL-96 aircraft carrying Putin is an advanced airborne strategic command centre capable of supervising Russia’s nuclear forces from anywhere in the world. It is equipped with satellite communication technology, jamming systems and specialised missile-defence hardware. Once fully fuelled, the aircraft can fly 13,000 kilometres non-stop, ranking it among the world’s most secure and technically advanced presidential jets.