UAE Government Used Sanctioned Russian ‘Shadow’ Airline
A Defense News investigation into the activities of Aviacon Zitotrans, a Russian air cargo company sanctioned because of links to Moscow’s mercenary forces, found it had been used extensively by the UAE government over the last year or so.
The UAE government has been linked to a sanctioned Russian air cargo company, Aviacon Zitotrans, according to a recent investigation by Defense News. The company, which operates a fleet of unmarked Ilyushin Il-76 freighters, has been sanctioned by the US, Canada, and Ukraine for its activities supporting Russian forces and mercenary operations in Africa.
Investigation revealed that four of Aviacon's aircraft, all over 30 years old, have been identified in around 100 flights between UAE bases and seven African countries, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya. The UAE has been reported to back the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan's civil war, while some of the other destinations of these flights are also involved in ongoing conflicts, contradicting the UAE's support to the west.
The investigation also highlighted the unusual practice of these flights often disabling tracking transponders over the Gulf of Aden.
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