Pobeda flight DP936 was a few minutes into its descent towards Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, where thousands of supporters of poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny were waiting to meet him on his return to Russia, when the flight captain said he could not land as planned.

There were “technical difficulties”, he said, before adding, audibly amused: “Instead we will calmly make our way to Sheremetyevo airport ... where the weather is great!”