Why did the Ukrainian plane fall into fire in Libya?
In battles against rebel forces of General Khalif Haftar, the army of the Government of National Accord Faiz Saraj destroyed two Ukrainian transport planes. Why were they in the skies over Libya and what kind of cargo were on board?
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| Photo: Sputnik |
"The weapons discovered in Garyan show that the conflict is being fueled by foreign governments. Libyans are fighting for the benefit of other countries," said the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Libya Hasan Salame.
This statement was made against the background of an unexpected news. Libyan journalists reported that last weekend, during the PNS airstrike on Al Jufra airport, controlled by Haftar's forces, two Ukrainian Il-76TD transport aircraft were attacked. One of the pilots died. The Ukrainian media found out the identity: Vladimir Bukhalsky from Melitopol, former deputy commander of the 25th transport aviation brigade, now working on a contract.
He has served in hotspots in the Middle East for a long time. In 2012, he participated in the evacuation of Ukrainians from the civil war in Libya. He retired a few years ago, but continues to fly, considered one of the most experienced military pilots.
The planes destroyed in the airstrike belonged to Ukraine's Europe Air transport airline, but were registered under the name of an Indian-origin man - Jaidip Mir Vendani - and were leased to the United Arab Emirates.
The Europe Air website says the company is engaged in air transport services. As for the IL-76TD aircraft, the Internet map marks their base airports. One is in Krivoy Rog, the other is in the third most populous city of the UAE - Sharjah. Almost all flights depart from there.
The route was constantly changing: Sudan, Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Cameroon. Libya was not included in this plan. However, according to the Ukrainian website strana.ua, the IL-76TD still flew there - carrying weapons smuggled from the UAE to supply Haftar's rebels.
The final departure point was the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, the destination was Libya's Labrak airport. However, once in the sky, both planes changed course and headed for Al-Dzhufra. According to Libyan journalists, the pilots were instructed to transport the "remaining cargo" to the Haftar-controlled airbase.
The media noted that on the day of the attack, the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine revoked the operator's certificate number UK046 from Europe Air. However, other Europe Air planes continued to fly to the Middle East. Officially, Kiev has not commented on the situation.
Despite the strong resonance caused by the destruction of the Ukrainian plane in Libya, experts interviewed by Sputnik do not expect serious consequences for Kiev because of this incident. After all, the weapons were supplied by a private company.
“The Ukrainian authorities may know about the smuggling, but they turn a blind eye. People pay very quickly and promptly for the delivery of weapons, while official transport companies do not bear any responsibility for the goods. The logic here is: 'I am a taxi driver and I am not responsible for what the passenger is carrying in his suitcase,'” Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the PIR Central Academy of Military Sciences, explained to Sputnik.
