DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow is calling out Washington's shifting versions: between supposed Iranian drones, Vance and Rubio in disagreement, the Russian press highlights a fragile case.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the WSJ cited by Interfax, the B-1Bs left Fairford after an alert about a drone attack by the CGRI aimed at killing several hundred American military personnel.
- 02
According to RT, citing the NYT, the 12 B-1s were withdrawn over the weekend, some without in-flight refueling; at least three had joined South Dakota by Sunday.
- 03
TASS reports that JD Vance has de facto acknowledged the link to the incident, which appears to contradict Marco Rubio.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, October 6, 2026. The Russian press is treating the withdrawal of the twelve B-1s from RAF Fairford as an American story with floating versions. Interfax, citing the Wall Street Journal, reports that the B-1B Lancers were redeployed after an alert about a possible drone attack organized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which allegedly aimed to kill several hundred American military personnel. According to officials cited by the New York Times, the scenario was partly inspired by the drone strike launched last year by Ukraine from Russian territory, which destroyed Russian strategic bombers; Interfax relays this parallel without commenting on it.
RT emphasizes the fragility of the case. The media outlet recalls that five Britons in their twenties were arrested near the base a week earlier, then released on bail the next day, after what it describes as a "hysterical media reaction" in the UK. It specifies that the alert was triggered by a farmer's call after seeing men running out of white vans. According to the NYT cited by RT, the departure was so urgent that several aircraft took off without in-flight refueling; at least three had reached South Dakota by Sunday.
Meduza highlights that the Pentagon has not given the reason for the withdrawal, that these bombers were intended to strike Iran, and that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has provided no details to support Iranian involvement, which Tehran denies. The media outlet also notes the arrest in London on October 1 of a 25-year-old man with dual British and Iranian nationality, who was also released.
TASS emphasizes the divergences within the American executive. Vice President JD Vance says he believes "with some confidence" in Iran's involvement, which he accuses of carrying out terrorist acts for 49 years. He has de facto acknowledged that the withdrawal was linked to the incident, which seems to contradict Marco Rubio, and mentioned the Secretary of War acting "with extreme caution" to protect American soldiers.
Interfax finally notes that the suspects' vans did not contain explosives and that American officials still do not know if the arrested individuals are linked to the presumed drone attack or another operation.
SOURCES (4)
- InterfaxMEDIUM
