UAE Government Used Sanctioned Russian ‘Shadow’ Airline

On Wednesday, Defense News reported on the outcome of its investigation into Russia’s Aviacon Zitotrans air cargo company. The carrier, which operates a fleet of unmarked four-engined Ilyushin Il-76 freighters, has been sanctioned by the US, Canada, and Ukraine because of its activities in support of Russian forces and Moscow’s mercenary operations in Africa.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The company’s website says that its aircraft, all over 30 years old, carry out a range of heavy lift capability including government, aerospace, military, humanitarian, and relief missions involving dangerous goods and animal transportation among other things. Four of the Il-76s named in the investigation, RA-76842, RA-76502, RA-76846, and RA-76834 are listed as blocked by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. In the course of its review of around 9,000 flight records since the beginning of 2025, around 100 flights were identified between three air bases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and at least seven African countries, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya, as well as Pakistan. Open-source trackers commented on the fact that a number of the flights that originated from the UAE’s Al Ain Airport, Abu Dhabi, and Sweihan Air Bases often deliberately switched off tracking transponders over the Gulf of Aden. Defense News drew particular attention to the Pakistan destination, the private, unregistered Chandana Airstrip, which has been linked to falconry trips by members of the UAE’s royal family. Other Topics of Interest Russian Radicals Baptize Moon to ‘Make it Orthodox’ Putin-linked bikers joined nationalist intellectuals for a ceremony involving a Bronze Age stone they claimed came from the heavens. Margaux Garcia, a senior analyst at C4ADS, a nonprofit organization that monitors illicit networks said, “If it is the case that Aviacon is also running missions for the UAE alongside illicit missions for Russia, then it is significant.” The UAE is widely reported to back the Rapid Support Forces involved in Sudan’s civil fighting the Russian-backed Sudanese Armed Forces. Defense News suggests that Aviacon is flying missions supporting both sides in the conflict. Several of the other destinations of UAE sponsored flights are also involved in ongoing conflicts, some of which seem to contradict the UAE’s support to the west. The RA-76842 has an interesting history. The aircraft and its crew were seized in Afghanistan in 1995 on a flight from Tirana to Kabul. After being held in captivity for more than a year, the seven-man crew managed to escape and flew to Russia via the UAE. Earlier this month, the aircraft was renamed after its captain Vladimir Sharpatov. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.