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Mysterious Russian Military Cargo Plane Linked to Venezuela Air Defense Lands in Cuba—What Could It Be Carrying?
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A Russian heavy cargo aircraft with a history of transporting military equipment to Latin America has arrived in Cuba, drawing renewed attention amid rising tensions between Washington and Moscow’s regional partners, according to Defense News on February 2.
Flight tracking data shows that an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane operated by Aviacon Zitotrans, a Russian government-affiliated airline, landed late Sunday at San Antonio de los Baños Air Base, a major military facility roughly 50 kilometers south of Havana.
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The aircraft, registered RA-78765, departed Russia in late January and followed a circuitous route that included stops in Mauritania, Algeria, and the Dominican Republic before reaching Cuba. Earlier legs of the flight originated from St. Petersburg, with an intermediate stop in Sochi, according to flight records.
The same Il-76 carried out a similar tour of Latin America in October 2025, flying to Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba at a time of escalating friction between Caracas and Washington. That earlier mission preceded the US military intervention in Venezuela on January 3.
Since then, Cuba has come under growing pressure from the White House. On January 29, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring Cuba a “national emergency,” imposing tariffs on any country supplying the island with oil unless Havana aligns its policies with US national security and foreign-policy priorities.
The Il-76 is capable of transporting up to 50 tons of cargo or approximately 200 personnel. Aircraft of this type have previously been used by Russia to deliver weapons, military equipment, and contracted personnel overseas.
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According to Defense News, Aviacon Zitotrans has long been associated with such missions and is sanctioned by the US, Canada, and Ukraine for supporting Russia’s military operations abroad.
“Aviacon Zitotrans has shipped military equipment such as rockets, warheads, and helicopter parts all over the world,” the US Treasury Department said in January 2023, when it added the airline to its sanctions list. “Aviacon Zitotrans has shipped defense materiel to Venezuela, Africa, and other locations.”
The company has also been linked to arms exports carried out on behalf of Rosboronexport, Russia’s state-owned weapons exporter.
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What the aircraft is carrying on its current flight remains unclear. However, when the same Il-76 traveled to Venezuela ahead of the January US 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.
Analysts note that the size and weight of both systems make such transport feasible, although the Buk system would likely need to be partially disassembled.
Earlier, reports emerged that despite possessing a sizable arsenal of Russian-made air defense systems, Venezuela failed to counter US aircraft during the rapid Operation Absolute Resolve, suffering significant losses among its surface-to-air missile units.
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