Russia is using a network of military and private aircraft, similar to its maritime “shadow fleet”, to sustain its forces in Africa’s Sahel.
At least 75 flights linked to Russian state-aligned military forces travelled to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger between January 2025 and July 2026, according to an analysis by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS).
The network resembles the logic of Russia’s better-known maritime “shadow fleet” of tankers used to export sanctioned Russian oil: rather than relying exclusively on clearly identifiable state assets, Moscow uses a mix of military operators, government agencies and private carriers to keep its supply lines running.
The most active operator was Flight Unit 224, a Russian defence ministry-controlled carrier already under US sanctions, the study found. But the study also identified Sapsan Airlines, Liz Aviation and Russia’s ‘Ministry for Emergency Situations’ among operators not sanctioned by the EU, US or UK.
The flights point to a broader logistics system rather than isolated movements. State aircraft regularly travelled through Russian-controlled bases in Syria and Libya, while private carriers tended to use commercial hubs in Turkey, Algeria and the UAE.
Tomáš Zdechovský, Czech EPP MEP and First Lieutenant in the Czech Army said the findings should trigger an urgent assessment by the EU institutions and member states.
“If these aircraft and companies are knowingly transporting Russian military personnel or military-related cargo to support the Africa Corps, they should face targeted sanctions, regardless of where the aircraft are registered,” he told Euractiv.
Brussels has progressively expanded its targeting of Russia’s maritime shadow fleet, including companies and other enablers based in third countries. Its latest sanctions package added 41 vessels and entities supporting the network.
Libya is becoming particularly important to this network as Moscow expands its military infrastructure there.
The Washington-based, offcial “Africa Defense Forum” , citing data from the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Tearline project, reported that Russia plans to fund infrastructure projects and deploy personnel at six Libyan air bases.
The sites, stretching across central, eastern and southern Libya, are being equipped or refurbished to support Russian aircraft, air defence systems, drones and personnel.
See the original by Pietro Guastamacchia here.