Before crossing the Atlantic, the cargo plane stopped in Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania
EFE (via 14ymedio), Washington, October 29, 2025 — An Ilyushin Il-76 air cargo carrier of the Russian company Aviacom Zitotrans, sanctioned by the US for participating in the arms trade and transport of mercenaries, left from Havana this Wednesday for Managua, after landing earlier in Caracas. This route among allies takes place in a climate of military tensions with the US naval and air deployment off the Venezuelan coast.
The Il-76 is capable of carrying up to 50 tons of cargo and is one of the largest cargo planes in the world, similar to the Airbus military A400M and Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster.
According to data from the website Flightradar, the Russian plane, which flew part of its route with the transponder off so as not to be identified, took off this morning from Havana. On Tuesday, October 28, it operated between Caracas and Havana, and on the 26th it landed in the Venezuelan capital, coming from Mauritania.
The Russian plane, which flew part of its route with the transponder off so as not to be identified, took off this morning from Havana
Before crossing the Atlantic, the cargo plane stopped in Armenia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania.
The Russian company Aviacon Zitotrans is accused by the US of being involved in transporting military materiel and supporting the Russian defense sector, as well as supporting the deployment of mercenaries of the so-called Wagner Group, designated by the US as a transnational criminal organization.
The US added Aviacon Zitotrans to the list of entities sanctioned in January 2023 for transporting light weapons, missiles and helicopter parts, with special emphasis on logistical support to Venezuela and military operations in Africa.
The fleet of Aviacon Zitotrans includes six Ilyushin cargo planes. The one that made this last route between Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua is registered RA-78765 and is one of the aircraft specifically named in the US sanctions, so it is subject to intervention if it enters the jurisdictions of the US or its closest allies.
It is one of the aircrafts specifically named in US sanctions and therefore subject to intervention
This air movement occurs in the midst of massive US reinforcement in the Caribbean and off the coast of Venezuela, where several destroyers and amphibious assault ships are already operating. In the next few days the attack group of the carrier USS Gerald Ford, the largest and most modern in the US Navy, is expected to arrive.
Analysts see this massive US deployment, which includes overflights near the Venezuelan airspace of strategic bombers, as an attempt to pressure the government of Nicolás Maduro to accept a negotiated exit. However, in public, the main reason given by the White House is its campaign to combat fentanyl trafficking.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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