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Aeroflot jet with Olympic flame takes off from Athens, heading for Moscow

“From that moment on Russia is considered to be the holder of the flame,” Kozak said

Photo EPA/SIMELA PANTZARTZI

Photo EPA/SIMELA PANTZARTZI

ATHENS, October 6 (Itar-Tass) - An Aeroflot jet with the Olympic flame for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi took off from the Athens airport Sunday morning and is heading for Moscow, Aeroflot’s official representative in Greece, Mikhail Mairakov confirmed in an interview with Itar-Tass.

The chartered jet was boarding in a specialized zone of the airport where journalists had no access. The only exception was made for the reporters departing for Moscow with an official delegation.

“The jet took off at 09:43 Athens time and will arrive in Moscow at around 14:00 hours Moscow Standard Time,” Mairakov said

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told reporters the other day that following the completion of the flame handover ceremony at the Panatinaicos stadium in Athens, it would be taken right away to the Russian territory in practical terms.

Overnight to Sunday, the Olympic flame was kept in the Russian embassy in Athens. “From that moment on Russia is considered to be the holder of the flame,” Kozak said.

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