Here’s How A U.S. President Sneaked Into A Warzone Without Anyone Noticing

Sabrina Siddiqui (a White House correspondent for The Wall Street Journal) and Evan Vucci, an Associated Press photographer, were summoned Friday to a private meeting at Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director.

There, they were let in on a huge secret: President Joe Biden — who was scheduled to depart for Poland at 7 p.m. for the anniversary of the start of the Russia-Ukraine war — would be sneaking into Kyiv. According to Siddiqui’s Monday pool report, these two journalists would be alone on the trip.

Biden was last seen out for dinner on Saturday night with Jill. They were enjoying a plate with rigatoni and fennel sausage-ragu. Now we know that Biden was spotted leaving the White House in middle of the night to make his way back to downtown Kyiv in Ukraine 20 hours later. But how the trip — one of many secret trips to warzones by presidents — came about is fascinating.

“Your pool was sworn to secrecy about the trip and told to look out for an email containing instructions for an early Sunday morning departure from Andrews Air Force Base,” Siddiqui wrote. “The subject line would read: ‘Arrival instructions for the golf tourney.'”

The reporters were directed to report to Andrews Air Force Base (Maryland), where the president’s planes, helicopters, and other equipment, between 2 a.m. ET and 2:05 a.m. EDT on Sunday.

Once at the base, the journalists’ phones were taken by Secret Service agents — they wouldn’t get them back for nearly 24 hours. They were taken to the 747 with the robin egg blue trim, but to an Air Force C-32 which is often used for domestic travel to smaller airports.

The plane was shaded and sat in the darkness near a hanger. It is normally parked on the tarmac for presidential travel, until Biden boarded it. It took off at 4:05 a.m. EST. Officially, the plane had a president aboard. “Air Force One,” However, the Air Force jet used the Air Force call sign “SAM060” Special Air Mission

After a seven-hour flight to replenish fuel, the plane arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany at 5.13 p.m. The plane remained on the ground with its shades down for approximately 75 minutes.

The plane took off again in the dark at 6:29 p.m. At 7:57 p.m., AF1 landed at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in Poland. However, journalists were not able to see Biden getting off the plane before being led to an SUV by press.

The president’s motorcade — some 20-plus vehicles, a mix of nondescript minivans and SUVs — began rolling at 8:12 p.m. on a roughly one-hour drive along a fairly empty eastbound highway. There were no sirens or flashing lights to indicate who was onboard.

Biden’s motorcade arrived at the Przemyśl Główny train station at about 9:15 p.m. A few people were seen outside the station. The train stalls appeared to be closed. The motorcade drove directly up to the train, where the shades were mostly drawn.

The president was dropped right in front of the train car. After that, the press pool was taken to its own train car. Each sleeper cabin contained four single beds and was separated. Siddiqui said that she was told eight cars were on the train, plus the engines by a security agent. A large security presence occupied most of the train.

“A small group of passengers awaiting a separate train on the opposite side of the tracks were huddled in conversation and occasionally glanced over, but it was unclear if they could make out any of the activity unfolding before them,” Siddiqui wrote.

The train left the station at 9:37 pm and reached Ukraine at 10 pm.

It would take the train 10 hours to reach its destination. The train made a few stops along the route, including at least one stop to provide additional security. Although it was not always obvious why the stops were made, they were usually brief.

At 8:20 a.m. the train carrying President Biden stopped at the Kyiv – Pasazhyrsky station. Biden, his staff and the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink were awaiting them on the platform. Biden disembarked shortly after and said: “It’s good to be back in Kyiv.”

The motorcade, a mix of SUVs and minivans along with armored vehicles — but no presidential limo, the heavily fortified vehicle that weights 20,000 pounds and is known as “The Beast” — rolled from the train station at 8:18 a.m. en route to Mariinsky Palace.

A few officials were able join us for the ride: Jake Sullivan (National Security Adviser), deputy chief of

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