Media: Sanctioned Russian jet lands in Cuba, echoing flights ahead of Maduro’s capture

A Russian cargo plane, typically used to transport military equipment, landed at a military airfield near Havana on the night of February 1, echoing flight patterns observed before the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The U.S.-sanctioned Ilyushin Il-76, operated by Russian state-linked airline Aviacon Zitotrans, was tracked landing at San Antonio de los Baños Airfield, a Cuban military installation roughly 30 miles south of Havana, according to public flight data, Fox News reports.

Flight-tracking records show the aircraft made previous stops in St. Petersburg and Sochi in Russia, Mauritania in Africa, and the Dominican Republic. Each landing would have required approval from host governments, highlighting which countries continue to permit Russian military-linked aviation activity despite Western sanctions.

The same aircraft previously flew to Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba in late October 2025, amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas. That activity preceded U.S. military action in Venezuela that ultimately ended Maduro’s rule, a sequence U.S. officials and analysts have cited as a warning indicator when evaluating similar Russian flights in the region.

A Russian military Ilyushin Il-76 strategic airlift aircraft took off from Qamishli International Airport in northeastern Syria’s Hasakah province on January 27, 2026. Russia withdrew troops and equipment from the airport, previously controlled by Kurdish forces, as the Syrian army advanced and new Islamist authorities sought to extend control across the country.

Now, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel faces growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has intensified policy toward Havana in recent weeks.

On January 29, Trump declared a national emergency related to Cuba, asserting that the Cuban government poses an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. The administration also said it would impose penalties on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba without U.S. authorisation. Trump confirmed on February 1 that the U.S. is engaged in direct talks with Cuban officials.

"Cuba is a failing nation. It has been for a long time, but now it doesn’t have Venezuela to prop it up," Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Florida. "So we’re talking to the people from Cuba, the highest people in Cuba, to see what happens. I think we’re going to make a deal with Cuba."

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have both indicated support for political change in Havana, though the administration has not said whether it would pursue that objective through military action.

Russian military ties to Cuba have repeatedly triggered concern in Washington. While the Soviet Union’s footprint on the island receded after the Cold War, Moscow has steadily rebuilt defence and intelligence cooperation with Havana over the past decade. U.S. officials have warned that renewed Russian activity in Cuba could pose security risks near the U.S. mainland.

The Il-76 is a heavy transport aircraft capable of carrying roughly 50 tons of cargo or up to 200 personnel, a capability that has drawn scrutiny given the operator’s history. Aviacon Zitotrans has been sanctioned by the United States, Canada, and Ukraine for supporting Russia’s defence sector.

"Aviacon Zitotrans has shipped military equipment such as rockets, warheads, and helicopter parts all over the world," the U.S. Treasury Department said in January 2023, when it added the airline to its sanctions list.

It remains unclear what cargo the aircraft carried on its most recent flight. During earlier operations in Venezuela, Russian state media and a Russian lawmaker said the same aircraft delivered Pantsir-S1 short-range and Buk-M2E medium-range air defence systems to Caracas.

By Aghakazim Guliyev