Russian Troops Spotted on Passenger Planes En Route to the Frontlines in Ukraine

More and more images have recently appeared online showing Russian troops aboard passenger planes operated by civilian airlines. In some photos, they are simply taking group pictures on board. In others, they are lying in the aisle, apparently intoxicated. But the key issue is not their condition—it is the very fact that military personnel are present on commercial flights alongside regular passengers, clearly being deployed for military purposes. 

They are traveling with civilians on passenger aircraft departing from regular airports.

While the full scale of the practice cannot be independently verified yet, photos, videos, and testimony reviewed by UNITED24 Media, including material from sources in Ukraine’s Defense Forces, indicate that this is not an isolated case.

In the Russian social network VK , members of the group “Overheard in the SMO ” openly discussed the regular use of civilian airports and commercial flights for military transport in late April. In particular, they mentioned St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport.

In the comments, users shared numerous examples. One user, Andrey Bakshaev, confirmed this from personal experience:

“We flew on a regular civilian plane from a regular airport. Through a regular civilian terminal. With duffel bags and body armor. We were flying to war. To Rostov, and from there by buses. In December.”

He also detailed his route through several Russian cities:

“From Ulan-Ude to Novosibirsk with civilians; in Novosibirsk, the civilians were transferred, more soldiers were added, and then we flew to Rostov. There, we landed at the closed Platov [airport].” Platov is an airport located near Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Another user, Anatoly Kotov, also shared photos of himself and other soldiers using civilian flights. There is little doubt about his affiliation with the Russian army. A year earlier, he had posted images of himself in a Russian military uniform on social media. In early February, he was searching for another contract soldier, Alexander Yakovlev, who had gone missing on the front near Novopavlivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

In March, a Russian user who regularly posts military-themed content on a channel with “marine infantry” in its name shared a video showing an entire group of soldiers waiting for a flight at a civilian airport. In the comments, other Russians expressed no surprise—only wishes of success to their soldiers.

The use of civilian infrastructure for military purposes effectively turns it into a dual-use object. According to the norms established in the Geneva Conventions and interpretations of the law of armed conflict, such objects may be considered legitimate military targets:

“To the extent that a specific dual-use object makes an ‘effective contribution’ to the enemy’s military action and its destruction, neutralization or capture offers a definite military advantage, it qualifies as a military objective regardless of its simultaneous civilian use.”

It is also critical that transporting soldiers alongside civilians amounts to the de facto use of passengers as a form of human shield. The presence of troops on commercial flights undermines basic aviation safety standards and exposes passengers to additional risks without their consent or awareness.

Violating both international and domestic safety norms—apparently, all in the interest of deploying as many soldiers to the front as quickly as possible. A pattern that appears consistent with Russia’s conduct.

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