A close ally of Vladimir Putin was forced into an emergency helicopter landing on a football pitch in Iran due to "security issues".
Igor Levitin, 70, had been on a “secret” visit to the country as Moscow is desperate to speed up deliveries of Iranian missiles and military drones for use in Ukraine.
However, his clandestine trip had been exposed before the unscheduled landing in the northern city of Astara, which delayed a football match for 40 minutes.
