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Putin's Flight Is Too 'Multifaceted' for Investigation

The Federal Air Transportation Agency has refused to look into Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's stunt piloting a firefighting aircraft in August, calling it an overly “multifaceted” issue, blogger and activist Alexei Navalny said Monday.

Navalny requested a check after Putin co-piloted the aircraft during this summer's wildfires, saying he should be fined because he had no pilot's license.

But the Federal Air Transportation Agency said in a reply dated Oct. 20 that it was not responsible for state-owned aircraft — including Putin's plane — and failed to establish which agency should handle the check into the incident.

Navalny promised on his blog to pursue the matter. Putin has not commented on the issue.

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