A cargo ship from the Aviacon Zitotrans company circumvents sanctions and could transport troops and military supplies to nations friendly to Moscow, jumping from Africa to Central America.
Western secret services are apparently following the movements of a Russian cargo aircraft that arrived in Venezuela in recent days and then made several stops in other Latin American countries aligned with the Kremlin. Not all of these trips appear in the flight logs, however on some tracking sites it appears that similar trips were also made last August. It is an Ilyushin Il-76 registered as RA-78765 operated by a private but government-affiliated cargo charter airline, the Aviacon Zitotrans, on paper specialized in government and military airlifts, transport of dangerous goods, aerospace equipment and in humanitarian and rescue operationseven in the transport of live animals.
The journey between Caracas, Havana and Managua
Well: this airplane landed again in the capital Caracas on October 26th and two days later it left for Havana (Cuba) to head the following day to the capital of Nicaragua, Managua. On 29 October, the plane then returned to Caracas, where it remained overnight, and on 30 October a new flight saw it leave Venezuela and return to Russia with a route that saw him pass through Nouakchott, Mauritania and Algiers before flying to Sochi and from there continuing to Moscow. We must consider that Russian planes are barred from Western airspace, further forcing them to fly difficult routes, but this latest trip to Latin America takes place against a backdrop of unprecedented tensions between Washington and Caracaswith the Pentagon positioning a naval strike group where the range would allow it to attack targets in Venezuela, a nation accused of encouraging drug trafficking.
The alliances of Caracas
On the opposite front Officials in Caracas have recently reached out to what they consider friendly governments, such as Russia, China and Iran, in hopes of receiving military assistance. According to what was reported by the newspaper “Il Post”, Venezuela would be ready to defend its national sovereignty and Moscow would be ready to “respond appropriately to partners’ requests in light of emerging threats”.
Previous missions and mysterious objectives
The October flights of RA-78765 were a rare event for the Russian fleet, which usually focuses on Asia and Africa. But It wasn’t the first time this particular aircraft crossed the Atlantic in recent times: the same plane had already landed in these parts in mid-August passing through Conakry (Guinea) and Brasilia. In mid-August he stopped in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, then Bogota, Caracas, Toluca (Mexico) and Cuba, before returning to Caracas and crossing the Atlantic to Nouakchott, West Africa. It is unclear what the purpose of this recent mission to Latin America wasHowever some Western governments had sanctioned in the past explicitly Aviacon Zitotrans because, with some of its aircraft, it transported military resources Russian as personnel and equipment.
Aviacon Zitotrans: a company under observation
According to what was published on the web this airline also provides charter cargo flights for private customersbut activity was reportedly significantly reduced following the imposition of sanctions on Russia. When questioned by the media specializing in analysis and defense, the carrier’s leaders never responded. What is possible to know through the photos taken by aviation enthusiasts around the world (spotters), the airplanes of Aviacon Zitotrans and other similar freighters belonging to other government-affiliated Russian private airlines would play a crucial role in circumventing sanctions, often disguising the flights as those needed to supply Russian civilian and military shipments in the Global Southparticularly in Africa.
Former Wagner troops and Russian global logistics
These are the troops who before 2023 were part of the Kremlin-affiliated Wagner militia. The Ilyushin Il-76 can carry 46 tons of cargo and also two Mi-8 or Mi-17 helicopters, or three 20-foot containers, some large off-road vehicles and other cargo including obviously teams of equipped soldiers. Frequent stops made along a route that the airplane’s range would allow not to be made may therefore be indicative of a heavy loadthat is, which involves the need to make frequent supplies. But it can also be an evasive technique to make load analysis complicated by observers.
The historical precedents of “secret” flights
Government flights disguised as cargo operations is a very old practice: the French did it with the Aeropostale in Latin America (the very one described by Antoine de Saint Exupèry in some of his works); and Air America was even celebrated in Hollywoodsecretly controlled by the CIA, which from 1950 to 1976 supplied the guerrillas in South-East Asia, in particular during the Vietnam war and that in Laos. The story was told in the 1990 film of the same name directed by Roger Spottiswoode, starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr.
