Plane shot down in Darfur had Russians on board and was supplying weapons to Sudanese army – Reuters

The plane shot down in Darfur had Russians on board and was supplying weapons to the Sudanese army, – Reuters Sergey Popovich

The plane shot down in Darfur with Russians on board was supplying weapons to the Sudanese army, – Reuters/Collage 24 Channel

The plane shot down in the Sudanese state of North Darfur had Russian crew members on board and was supplying the besieged city of El Fasher. This is according to representatives of the opposing side in the civil war, as well as documents found in the wreckage.

New information about the plane incident in Darfur reveals hidden supply networks in the Sudanese civil war, Reuters reports.

Russian weapons in Sudan

Flight data and information from social media accounts, previously unreported, indicate that the transport plane stopped working for the RSF several months ago and began supplying the Sudanese army.

Background: The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Intervention Force (RSF) has lasted more than 18 months. As a result, more than 11 million people have fled their homes, and large-scale famine has gripped the country.

Reuters has identified at least two Russians who were likely on board the plane. The journalists compared the footage with their IDs provided to RSF and with their social media profiles.

Documents, video materials and social media were also analyzed. Evidence suggests that at least one of the Russian crew members was previously involved in arms trafficking.

RSF showed photographs showing the documents of two Russians who were on board with three Sudanese army servicemen.

It was later revealed that it was a Russian Il-76 transport plane. The remains of the plane's engine and stabilizers match those used on Russian transport planes of this type.

What was the mission of the Russian plane

The plane was used to drop weapons, ammunition and provisions in El Fasher. The Sudanese army, surrounded in the city, and allied rebel groups have been trying to hold off attacks by the RSF for months.

The source said the plane was able to drop supplies but was shot down on the way back, the London-based Centre for Information Resilience said based on video analysis. It placed the crash site at 80 miles north of El Fasher.

The RSF released a video showing its troops standing near the wreckage of the plane. They said they shot it down in the Al-Malha area north of El Fasher.

Reuters confirmed the location of the footage by checking the shape of the mountains, the terrain and the type of vegetation.

The Sudanese army declined to comment on the incident. How exactly the plane was shot down and where it was flying to is unknown.

The Russian embassy in Sudan says it is investigating the incident.

The Sudanese army is known to have hired crews from former Soviet republics to help it on more than one occasion.

Earlier, we published footage of a Russian Il-76 shot down in Darfur. At that time, one of the versions was that the plane had an exclusively humanitarian mission in the country.

Recall that special forces of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine also fought in Sudan against Russian mercenaries from the Wagner PMC.