Workers at Khartoum International Airport in Sudan found a Russian cargo plane loaded with boxes of gold. Although according to the documents, the plane is supposed to export cookies.
This shipment was discovered a few days after the start of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
CNN writes about it.
< p>Note that Sudan rarely, if ever, exports biscuits. However, the country is the third largest producer of the precious metal in Africa.
The airport back office decided to check the cargo of the Russian aircraft, although they were afraid of the pro-Russian leadership of Sudan.
“Inside the hold, multi-colored boxes of biscuits. Hidden underneath were wooden crates containing Sudan's most valuable resource. Gold. Approximately one ton“, reads the article.
Several official Sudanese sources told reporters about this February incident. It is one of at least 16 known smuggling of gold from Sudan through Russia over the past 1.5 years.
As the journalists found out, this is a scheme of wealth robbery thought out by the Russians Sudan to try to strengthen the Russian Federation against tougher Western sanctions. Another purpose of this is to support financing of the Russian military sector.
Evidence suggests that the Russian Federation colluded with Sudan's military leadership, allowing billions of dollars of gold to bypass the state and deprive the country of hundreds of millions of income.
“We have long known that Russia is exploiting Sudan's natural resources. To maintain access to these resources, Russia facilitated a military coup,” a former U.S. official familiar with the case told the publication.
At the center of this scheme is Evgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch and key ally President Vladimir Putin. He is believed to be the owner of the private military company Wagner.
“Because of Meroe Gold or other companies associated with Prigozhin's employees, he has developed a strategy to rob the economic resources of African countries where he interferes, as opposed to his support of governments “, – said the investigator of the London Dossier Center Denis Korotkov.
Recall that the EU imposed sanctions against Russian gold and jewelry made from it.
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