Russian Involvement in Sudan: Downed Il-76 Plane Piloted by Russians

The Il-76 military transport plane shot down over Sudan was crewed by three Russians and one Belarusian.

This information comes from a letter sent to the victims’ families by the Sudanese state military-industrial company MASAD SD. The letter was published by Russian blogger Fighterbomber.

According to the document, all crew members were killed in the incident, which took place in West Kordofan.

List of the deceased citizens of Russia and Belarus:

• Dmitry Kotarov (Russia)
• Dmitry Donskikh (Russia)
• Dmitry Yegorov (Russia)
• Alexander Grianov (Belarus)

The document states that the embassy and the company are carrying out urgent work to arrange the transportation of the bodies of the deceased and to provide all possible assistance.

“The amounts to cover expenses related to transportation will be agreed upon in accordance with established procedures,” the letter says.

The letter was signed by Hassan Mohamed Jaks, a representative of the Moscow office of the Defense Industries System Sudan, a state-owned military-industrial company.

The company is engaged in the production, supply, and maintenance of military equipment and ammunition for Sudan’s junta forces.

The Il-76 aircraft with a Russian crew was shot down on November 4. It came under fire from the so-called Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In videos released by the RSF on social media, debris of a large white transport aircraft can be seen, with distinctive structural elements, including the tail section, which is clearly visible in the footage.

In Sudan, the military junta uses Il-76 aircraft, including for bombing operations. Videos released last year show these aircraft dropping unguided aerial bombs, likely from FAB-250 or FAB-500 series.