Russian air traffic controllers denied a German military plane bound for Uzbekistan the right to fly over Russian territory, Germany's air force said Wednesday.
The German Airbus had been unable to fly when initially scheduled on Tuesday, and so took off Wednesday instead, the air force said.
Russian authorities refused to allow the plane to fly over their airspace, forcing it to abort its trip to Termez, Uzbekistan, and return to Berlin, the German air force said.
The air force said the incident was being investigated, and declined to comment on a reports by German public television ZDF that the plane was delayed by a day due to bad weather, and that the Russians' refusal was linked to a diplomatic clearance issued only for Tuesday.
Attempts to reach Russia's transport ministry and air traffic control officials were unsuccessful.
Last week, Russia temporarily forced Lufthansa Cargo flights bound for Kazakhstan to skirt the country's airspace, saying the airline's permits had not been renewed. It also said it wanted the freight-wing of the German national carrier to start flying to an airport in Siberia instead. The permits were later extended through February.
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