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An Il-76 cargo plane carrying Russian citizens was shot down in Sudan. One of the dead was the chief engineer of Airline Transport Incorporation FZC, Viktor Granov. Russian media write about this with reference to the Russian Embassy in Sudan, which is currently clarifying the circumstances of the incident.

According to data from the Mash telegram channel, rebels from the paramilitary organization of the Rapid Reaction Forces (RRF), which previously supported the government, took responsibility for the downing of the plane. 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, which complicates access to the site of the tragedy.

The plane, chartered by the United Arab Emirates, 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 downing occurred due to “friendly fire.”

The situation in Sudan remains fragile following a 2021 military coup that handed power to a council of generals led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the military commander. His deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti, heads the RRF, which is involved 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 midst of a power struggle between two main military factions. Mercenaries from the Russian PMC Wagner also operated in Sudan and came under attack two days after the delivery of a large shipment of weapons. CNN previously reported that Ukrainian special services could have been behind the attack on the Wagner positions.

Earlier, Kursor wrote that the Russian military executed two Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers in the Donetsk region.