To supply Russian military forces in the African Sahel region, the Russian authorities have created a 'shadow air fleet' - an extensive network of military and private aircraft. This was reported on Saturday, August 22, by the Brussels portal Euractiv, citing the Washington-based NGO 'Center for Advanced Defense Studies' (C4ADS). Its detailed report on the 'shadow air fleet' was published on August 12. According to analysts from the United States, from January 2025 to July 2026, there have been at least 75 flights from Russia to Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The supply channels are supported by a network of military operators, government agencies, and private transport companies, Euractiv specifies. According to its data, the mechanism is comparable to what Moscow uses for the operation of the 'shadow fleet' in maritime oil exports. ## ## The network of airlines forms a 'comprehensive logistics system' Thus, the most active carrier was OJSC '224th Flight Squadron', controlled by the Russian Ministry of Defense and already under U.S. sanctions at the time of publication. Additionally, the C4ADS analysis mentions firms Sapsan Airlines and Liz Aviation, as well as the aviation of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. All of them are not under any restrictions from the EU, the U.S., or the UK. Their flights indicate the presence of a 'comprehensive logistics system', writes Euractiv. It notes that state-owned aircraft regularly flew through Russian-controlled bases in Syria and Libya, while private airlines more frequently used commercial hubs in Turkey, Algeria, and the United Arab Emirates. ## ## MEP calls for sanctions against the 'shadow air fleet' Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský from the European People's Party believes that the results of the analysis should prompt an urgent assessment by EU institutions and EU member states. 'If these aircraft and companies are deliberately transporting Russian military personnel or military cargo to support units in Africa, they should be subject to targeted sanctions, regardless of where the aircraft are registered,' he stated to the Euractiv portal.