A Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft landed at San Antonio de los Banos airfield. This refers to a Cuban military facility located about 48 km south of Havana.
The same aircraft had operated flights to Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, including in late October 2025, when relations between Washington and Caracas deteriorated.
American television channel Fox News said that U.S. officials are "concerned about Russian aviation activity in the region." What cargo the aircraft was carrying during its latest flight remains unknown.
The Il-76 is a Soviet and Russian heavy military transport aircraft developed by the Ilyushin Design Bureau. The aircraft was mass-produced at the V. P. Chkalov Tashkent Aviation Production Association in Uzbekistan.
In 2010, production of the aircraft was officially moved to Russia, to the Aviastar-SP plant in Ulyanovsk, where the upgraded Il-76MD-90A version is now being produced.