On January 17, 2021, Pobeda airlines flight DP936 from Berlin to Moscow was the most tracked flight of the day. Why?
On January 17, 2021, low-cost Pobeda airlines flight DP936 from Berlin to Moscow was due to land at 7:20 pm at Vnukovo International Airport (VKO). However, a few hours after take-off, the flight was diverted and landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) at 8:12pm. According to FlightRadar24 data, it was the most tracked flight of the day.
The most tracked flight right now is #DP935 from Moscow to Berlin. According to reports in media the return flight #DP936 will bring @navalny back to Russia. ETD of flight #DP936 from Berlin is 14:45 local time (13:45 UTC).https://t.co/VafQSaix9b pic.twitter.com/0ctUdEKzrz
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 17, 2021
The person responsible for all the attention to the flight was Russia’s opposition figure Alexei Navalny. He was flying back to Moscow after being treated in Germany for severe poisoning. A crowd of supporters and journalists were waiting for Navalny to land at Vnukovo International Airport (VKO), but last minute the flight was diverted to Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO). Pobeda Airlines told Dozhd TV that the flight was one of three of their flights that were diverted due to “technical reasons.”
Prior to the landing, the security was increased inside and around VKO, but the scene was chaotic. There were reportedly around 600 Navalny supporters waiting at the VKO airport. There were also Russian singer Olga Buzova’s fans, who were waiting for the popstar after she announced her arrival last minute. An hour before the plane was supposed to land, the police ordered everyone to disperse and arrested several supporters.