Two specialized military flights departed from Russia’s Chkalovsky Military Airfield on Aug. 12 in Moscow and headed toward the Zamok settlement in Belarus’ Minsk Oblast, according to Swedish-based online flight tracking site FlightRadar.
The first of the two Russian Aerospace Force planes, a Tupolev Tu-134 with tail number RA-65690, left the airfield at 9:43 a.m. Moscow times and was last detected by a transponder near Zamok at 10:56 a.m. Just an hour and a half later, another Tu-134 with tail number RA-65992 left for the same destination.
The twin-engine airliner offers a 24-seat comfort cabin and 13-seat luxury cabin, is equipped with a special communications system and is intended for the transportation of government officials. The two aircrafts are responsible for transporting Russian military leaders at the level of deputy minister of defense or higher.
The second jetliner, flight RA-65992, reportedly returned to the Russian airfield around 3:40 p.m that same day. The status of the first flight, however, has not been updated, leaving observers to assume that the aircraft is still near Minsk.
Neither Russia, nor Belarus has officially addressed the planes’ presence in the country. But their arrival comes at a time when Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko is facing mass protests over alleged election fraud, likely the greatest challenge to his presidency yet.
The planes have sparked speculation about a chapter in the Belarusian election saga that began before anyone had voted.
In late July, Belarusian authorities detained 33 members of the Russian-based paramilitary organization Wagner Group. Belarusian state television alleged that they had arrived to destabilize the situation in the country in the runup to the election, although some military experts have suggested they were using the Belarus as a stopover before traveling on to another country.
The Ukrainian government has requested that Belarus extradite 28 of the mercenaries to Ukraine. They stand accused of fighting against Ukrainian forces in the Donbas.
After a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Russian ambassador to Belarus, Dmitry Mezentsev, hinted at the possibility that the 33 Russian citizens could be imminently released in an interview with Russian media outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda on Aug. 11.
Citing an unnamed source, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Aug. 12 that the 33 Wagner militants could be released as early as the end of the week. The source further suggested that the expatriation process would likely be conducted by air, spurring speculation that the Russian planes are connected to the potential release of the Wagner members.
Belarus held presidential elections on Aug. 9, which Lukashenko won with 80% of the vote, according to preliminary results released by the government. However, unofficial polling showed his opponent, opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya winning roughly the same amount.
That resulted in mass protests across the country. Law enforcement has cracked down on demonstrators with brutal force, killing at least two people, injuring scores, arresting thousands and torturing many in detention.
Read More: Lukashenko falsifies election, declares war on Belarusians
