Flight-tracking data showing a Russian Ilyushin Il-76TD cargo aircraft taking a circuitous path to Port Sudan in mid-September has stirred suspicion of a covert military mission tied to General al-Burhan’s army (SAF), analysts say.
Operated by Gelix Airlines, a carrier linked to Russian state cargo operations, the Il-76 departed Moscow on Sept. 10 for Ulyanovsk and paused for more than 12 hours at Vostochny Airport, a known hub for defense logistics. It then routed to Riyadh and Entebbe before touching down at Egypt’s East Uwaynat military base. The aircraft made a brief stop at Port Sudan International Airport and then departed for Jeddah.
Atypical of commercial freight, the multi-country itinerary and military airfield stop led aviation and security analysts to assess the flight as likely connected to Russian military or security support for the SAF in Port Sudan.
The movement coincided with stepped-up reports of “Africa Corps” — the rebranded Wagner-linked network — operating near Sudan’s borders in coordination with the SAF. It also overlapped with Moscow hosting the first Sudan–Russia ministerial trade and economic committee meeting since the war erupted in April 2023, chaired by Sudan’s minerals minister, Nour el-Daim, and Russian minister Alexander Kozlov — a signal, analysts say, that economic engagement is accelerating despite conflict.
Taken together, the flight pattern and the ministerial talks underscore how Sudan has become a focal point for intersecting Russian and regional interests, where military activity and economic outreach increasingly move in tandem more than two years into the war.
