
Russia’s Il-76 lands in Cuba as Caracas arms ties resurface
A Russian Il-76 cargo plane operated by Aviacon Zitotrans arrived at Cuba’s San Antonio de los Baños Air Base after a multi-stop journey, continuing a pattern that previously delivered air-defense gear to Venezuela; the mission unfolds amid intensified U.S. sanctions pressure and a 2025 Russia–Cuba military cooperation agreement, with the exact cargo undisclosed but historically associated with weapons systems like Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E.












