Drones hit Russian base in Sudan

As a result of the strikes on strategic objects in Sudan, a naval base that the Russian Federation was trying to build on the Red Sea coast was damaged.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the Port Sudan area on the Red Sea coast. One of the objects that was hit was the Russian Flamingo naval base, which was under construction. This is evidenced by the analysis of satellite images conducted by the Center for Information Resilience (CIR), writes Gospodarka Morska.

According to the CIR, other targets hit included the Osman Digna air base, located near the Port Sudan airport, fuel depots and a power plant. The images show destroyed hangars and a destroyed Il-76 transport aircraft. Visual evidence confirms serious damage to military infrastructure, including the Russian contingent.

CIR analysts also examined images of ammunition that were likely used in the attacks. Among the versions are a Chinese guided bomb compatible with drones used by the RSF, or Russian surface-to-air missiles used to shoot down the drones. It is currently impossible to definitively establish the origin of the weapons.

Despite accusations from the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces have not officially claimed responsibility for the strikes.

Note: The Flamingo base project has a long history. It was first established in the 1960s, and in 2017, Russia signed an agreement with President Omar al-Bashir to create a full-fledged naval base for a period of 25 years. However, due to political instability in Sudan, the document was never ratified.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a large-scale civil war between the regular army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF paramilitary group led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. According to US researchers, the conflict has killed at least 130,000 civilians and displaced more than 15 million people.

USM also previously reported that China is strengthening its defense partnership with Africa amid ambitions to establish new naval bases.