A Russian military cargo aircraft tied to prior weapons deliveries in Latin America has landed at a Cuban air base amid heightened geopolitical tensions.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A Russian military cargo aircraft previously used to transport air defense systems to Venezuela arrived late Sunday at a Cuban military airfield near Havana, according to flight records reviewed by Defense News.
The aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-76 operated by the Russian government-affiliated airline Aviacon Zitotrans, departed from St. Petersburg in late January, routing through Sochi before making stops in the Dominican Republic, Mauritania, and Algeria en route to Cuba, the report said.
According to the flight data, the plane landed Sunday evening local time at San Antonio de los Baños Air Base, located roughly 31 miles south of Havana.
The same aircraft, registered RA-78765, conducted flights to Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba in late October, coinciding with rising tensions between Caracas and Washington, Defense News reported.
The arrival comes as Cuba has drawn increasing attention from President Donald Trump following a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela on Jan. 3, with pressure escalating later in the month. On Jan. 29, Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba.
Cuba has long depended on foreign assistance and oil shipments from allies including Mexico, Russia, and Venezuela, particularly before the removal of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a U.S. military operation.
The Il-76 aircraft is capable of carrying up to 50 tons of cargo or as many as 200 people. Defense News noted that similar aircraft have previously been linked to shipments of small arms, military equipment, and mercenaries associated with Russian operations abroad.
“Aviacon Zitotrans has shipped military equipment such as rockets, warheads, and helicopter parts all over the world,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in January 2023 when it placed the company under U.S. sanctions. The department said the airline had delivered defense materiel to Venezuela, Africa, and other regions.
Aviacon Zitotrans has also been sanctioned by Canada and Ukraine for supporting Russian military activities.
Officials have not disclosed what cargo the aircraft carried on its most recent flight to Cuba.
When the same plane flew to Venezuela ahead of U.S. strikes, it delivered Pantsir-S1 short-range and Buk-M2E medium-range air defense systems, according to Russian lawmaker Alexei Zhuravlev and Russian state media. Defense News reported that while the size and weight of those systems make air transport feasible, the Buk-M2E system would likely require partial disassembly due to height constraints.
Defense News said the current mission closely mirrors the earlier Venezuela flights in both routing — including multiple stops in northern Africa — and timing, unfolding amid intensifying geopolitical tensions involving a Russian-aligned government in Latin America.
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