An Il-76 cargo plane carrying Russian citizens was shot down in Sudan. One of the dead was Airline Transport Incorporation FZC chief engineer Viktor Granov. Russian media write about this citing the Russian Embassy in Sudan, which is currently clarifying the circumstances of the incident.
According to data from the Mash telegram channel, responsibility for the downing of the plane was attributed to rebels from the paramilitary organization Rapid Reaction Forces (FRR), which previously supported the government. The Russian embassy said it was in contact with local authorities, but noted that the crash area is in Darfur, a region affected by fighting, making access to the scene of the tragedy difficult.
The plane, chartered by the UAE, is believed to have been based at Manas Airport in Bishkek and was likely carrying humanitarian aid from the UAE to Chad. According to preliminary data, the shootdown occurred due to “friendly fire.”
The situation in Sudan remains fragile following the 2021 military coup that handed power to a council of generals headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the military commander. His deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti, heads the FRR, which is embroiled in a protracted conflict for control of the country.
Since the outbreak of active fighting on April 15, 2023 in the capital Khartoum and other regions of the country, Sudan has found itself in the middle of a power struggle between two main military factions. Russian PMC Wagner mercenaries were also operating in Sudan and were attacked two days after the delivery of a large arms shipment. CNN previously reported that Ukrainian special services could have been behind the attack on the Wagner positions.
Previously, Kursor wrote that the Russian army executed two soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk region.
