На русском языке:
Конго купила беларусский Ил-76, участвовавший в продовольственной программе ООН
On April 3, Twitter user Dylan Javier Díaz reported that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had purchased an Il-76 transport aircraft from Belarus. At the same time, he noted that nothing was known about the registration and owner, as well as whether the aircraft had undergone pre-sale preparations.
A week earlier, on March 30, Africa Intelligence also reported that the DRC had bought a Soviet-made military transport aircraft Il-76 from a Belarussian firm. It was noted that the purpose of the purchase of the aircraft was unknown, but the DRC army had a serious shortage of this type of aircraft.
According to our data, this is the aircraft of TransAviaExport transport airline, which was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2021 and later by the UK. It has also been repeatedly accused of transporting weapons to conflict-ridden regions.
Their Il-76TD «Igor Vashkevich» with registration number EW-78799, which is currently over 34 years old and has been in service since 1989, was sold to the DRC.
EW-78799 at МSQ in 2018 / russianplanes
The plane was named after Igor Vashkevich, the commander of another TransAviaExport aircraft (EW-78826), which was shot down by a man-portable air defense missile fired by Somali guerrillas while taking off from the Somali capital on March 23, 2007. The crash killed 11 people.
Wreckage of Transaviaexport aircraft (EW-78826) shot down in Somalia in 2007 / AFP
It should be noted that EW-78799 participated in the UN World Food Program, as part of which it transported humanitarian aid to African countries.
EW-78799 with the UN World Food Program emblems in Uganda in 2017 / JetPhotos
During one of the flights in 2017, when the aircraft was carrying humanitarian aid, it hit the roof of a house when coming in for landing at the airport in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Due to the accident, the plane failed to land in Juba and emergency landed at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. As a result of the accident, a five-year-old child died, four other people were injured, and the plane suffered a number of damages and was under repair for about a year.
Now this plane was purchased by the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the exact date of the deal and its cost are unknown. Nevertheless, an unconditional confirmation of this is a photo of the plane at Minsk National Airport on March 6, 2023.
EW-78799 at МSQ, March 6, 2023 / JetPhotos
The traces of the initials of the World Food Program, WFP, are clearly visible on the plane, and the registration number is already new — 9S-AAV. The DRC flag can also be seen on the right, exactly where the official flag of Belarus used to be.
At the moment, the plane is still at Minsk National Airport, but its transfer to Congo is only a matter of time. According to the Congolese media, it is possible that in future the plane may be used for the transportation of the DRC military.
