MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin uses reliable domestic airplanes, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured journalists at a briefing, commenting on the plane crashes of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Malawi's Vice-President Saulos Chilima.
"The Russian president uses domestic aircraft. These are very reliable vehicles," the Kremlin spokesman emphasized. "Of course, they need special maintenance due to their high technology," he said.
"All machinery in our country that transports citizens is also maintained at the proper level. There are very strict standards in this regard, which are, of course, observed. We have monitoring agencies, <...> the system works," the presidential spokesman emphasized.
The Russian presidential administration's Rossiya special flight squadron transports the head of state and the country's top officials. The squadron will turn 68 years old in 2024. Its team, which consists of 2,500 people, is known for its professionalism and is capable of transporting passengers and cargo to any part of the world in the most difficult conditions. The unit uses Russian Il-96 and Tu-214 airplanes and Mi-38 helicopters.
The history of the air service dates back to 1956, when top Soviet officials switched from military planes flown by military pilots to airliners crewed by the special purpose aviation detachment formed within Aeroflot and based out of Vnukovo airport. Subsequently, the unit became known as the 235th separate aviation detachment. In 1993, the state transportation company Rossiya was established on its basis. In 2009, a separate special flight detachment under the presidential administration was formed.