Reuters reported Oct. 24 that a cargo plane shot down earlier this week in Sudan may have had a Russian-speaking crew and was supplying arms and ammunition to the country’s army. The report cited sources and documents from Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Sudan’s paramilitary RSF claimed that it had shot down a cargo aircraft in Darfur, on October 21, and there was speculation at the time suggesting that Russians could have been aboard.
An RSF source told Reuters that the aircraft was an Il-74 transport jet used to deliver weapons, ammunition, and supplies to the city Al Fashir, Sudan, where the Sudanese Army is trying to repel RSF attacks.
It is still unknown what flight path the plane was on and what circumstances led to its downfall. According to Reuters, the plane had just completed a delivery.
The crew could have included 67 year old Russian Viktor Granov who allegedly had ties with Russian infamous arms trader Viktor Bout, who was released by the U.S. and Russia in a prisoner exchange in 2022.
Granov reportedly operated two airlines accused of violating an arms embargo imposed on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reuters reported that remnants of documents found on the scene suggest that 33-year-old Russian Anton Selivanets may also have been aboard the downed aircraft, citing footage provided by the RSF.
The RSF sent the news agency another video, which they claimed came from a phone recovered from that plane. Reuters identified Alexander Kabanov as a 61 year old Russian who posted the video on his social media accounts more than a year earlier.
Kabanov, according to his own account, served in the elite airborne forces and spent several years in Africa including Uganda, Sudan, and South Sudan.
Reuters was unable to confirm the owner of the phone.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a civil conflict between the military government under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Hemedti.
Both Russia and Ukraine played a complex part in the fighting. The Kremlin-backed Wagner group previously backed the RSF. Meanwhile, Ukrainian commandos are reported to have arrived in Sudan in August of 2023 in order to support the government.
Russia maintains an active presence in several African nations, such as Sudan, through Wagner and other entities. It supports authoritarian regimes, fuels destabilization and extracts resources to fund the war against Ukraine.
Other media publications have claimed that Ukrainian special forces participated in operations in Sudan, and were responsible for strikes against Wagner backed militants.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Sudan’s de-facto ruler, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan appealed for help from Ukraine in summer 2023, while being besieged by rebels.
The outlet reported that Kyiv’s positive response was a result of its desire to curb Russia’s influence abroad. But it also reflected the fact that “Burhan has been quietly supplying Kyiv weapons since shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022,” according to the outlet.
The bill to end daylight saving time was passed by the Ukrainian Parliament on July 16. The Ukrainians will set their clocks one hour back for the last time in October 2024. They will not return to summer time in the spring of 2025.
The French media La Lettre reported that Auchan, a French chain still operating in Russia is in final talks to sell its Russian subsidiary.
South Korean law prohibits exporting weapons to active conflict areas, but Seoul has hinted repeatedly that this could be changed in light of the deepening military co-operation between Russia and North Korea.
An RSF source told Reuters that the aircraft was an Il-74 transport jet used to deliver weapons, ammunition, and supplies to the city Al Fashir, Sudan, where the Sudanese Army is trying to repel RSF attacks.
Eight women and three males were injured. Oleh Simiehubov, the governor of the region, said that a 73-year old woman died from severe injuries.
The General Staff announced on October 24 that Ukrainian military, lawmakers and experts discussed creating a separate branch within Ukraine’s Armed Forces to be dedicated to cyberspace activities.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Beijing Foreign Ministry, made the statement in spite of the fact that the U.S.A., Seoul and Kyiv have all confirmed their presence over the past few days.
Michael R. Turner is a long-serving Republican Party member and his comments are by far the strongest from any U.S. politician.
The Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces shot down 40 of 50 Shahed drones and unidentified drones launched overnight by Russia. The Air Force reported that seven more drones had been “lost” and two others were flying toward Russia and Belarus.
During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been numerous reports of Russian soldiers executing Ukrainian POWs. However, they have increased dramatically in the last year.
Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian dictator, said in an interview to BBC that he knew Putin’s character and knew he would never try to convince another country to send its army to… Ukraine.
Politico reported that anonymous officials said that Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, and other countries are reluctant to invite Ukraine to join NATO.
John Kirby, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, also revealed details about U.S. intelligence assessment. Washington believes that North Korea “moved a minimum of 3000 soldiers into Eastern Russia.”
This includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces have suffered in the last day.
On Oct. 21, the Basmanny district of Moscow sentenced Ukrainian filmmaker Alexander Rodnyansky to 8 and half years in absence for “spreading false information” about Russian Army.
German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported that German Finance Minister Christian Lindner proposed a reevaluation of the legal status for Ukrainian refugees.
“Kremniy EL”, one of the largest microelectronics factories in Russia, produces components that are widely used in Russian defence production. These include Pantsir air-defense systems and Iskander rocket systems.
Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Foreign Ministry, wrote to cabinet ministers in a letter dated Oct. 23, warning that the European Union had informed Ukraine that the next tranche (4 billion euros) of the EU’s Ukraine Facility could be delayed until the following year if the expected aspects of the corruption reforms were not completed by the end this month.
Ukrainska Pravda, citing the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, reported on October 23 that Roman Hladkyi was dismissed just months after he was appointed to his controversial position in August 2024.
Belarus’ Central Electoral Commission, which announced the date on October 23, has set its next presidential elections for January 26, 2025. The incumbent Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who is currently in power, is widely expected to remain in power following the results of the election.
Daleep Singh is the White House’s deputy national security advisor for international economics. He said that Joe Biden intends to divide the funds between helping Ukraine’s economy and its military.
The statement read: “The next step will be advanced fast jet training with partner nations and conversion to F-16.”
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