2023 Gao Ilyushin Il-76 crash
On 23 September 2023, an Ilyushin Il-76 military transport aircraft crashed at Gao International Airport, Mali, after overrunning the runway.Speculation that the aircraft was operating on behalf of the United Nations' MINUSMA peacekeeping mission was denied by the UN in a statement given to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.[7][better source needed] Though the exact number of casualties remains unclear, it is speculated that the aircraft's Russian pilot and a Malian lieutenant colonel were amongst the fatalities of the crash.[10] The Telegram account "Grey Zone", which is affiliated with the Wagner Group, denied that there were any PMC members on board at the time of the crash.It is speculated that the aircraft was previously owned by the Wagner Group and then transferred to the Malian Air Force a week before the crash.