The Defense Ministry dispatched a new team of 120 Russian pilots, engineers, technicians and civilian experts, as well as four MI-8 MTV helicopters, on a United Nation peacekeeping mission in Sudan on Wednesday.
Russia has been taking part in the peacekeeping mission in Sudan since 2006, providing transportation for the UN's military observers and cargo and participating in search and rescue operations, in a rare display of its involvement in peacekeeping missions around the world.
The helicopters and personnel were scheduled to depart from the Chkalovsky airfield outside Moscow and the Migalovo airfield in the Tver region, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said another plane would be sent next Tuesday to deliver equipment to peacekeepers in the African country, which has seen its Darfur province ravaged by ethnic strife that has killed up to 300,000 people since 2003.
Paban Jung Thapa, head of the UN mission in Sudan at the time, awarded Russian peacekeepers with medals in May for their work during national elections in the spring, the spokesman for the Russian mission in Sudan, Pyotr Dyadyuchenko, told RIA-Novosti last month.
Russian forces transported almost 1,800 people and more than 86 tons of loads, including ballots, during the elections.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan was established in 2005 and employs more than 10,000 troops and police officers and 862 civilians, the mission's web site said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.