"On December 23, an Air Force Il-76 aircraft made a finishing flight to the capital of the republic of Chad to ensure the transfer of a Russian helicopter group participating in a European Union operation to support the UN presence in the republic of Chad and the Central African Republic," Lt. Col. Vladimir Drik said.
Drik said that since November 14, Il-76 Candid medium-range military transport aircraft and An-124-100 Ruslan aircraft have performed 15 flights to Chad, transporting more than 130 personnel and 300 metric tons of cargos, including seven vehicles and four Mi-8 MT helicopters.
Russia signed an agreement with the EU on November 5 on the deployment of a 200-strong peacekeeping contingent and four Mi-8MT helicopters in the central African region for up to a year.
Russia already has a helicopter support group deployed in neighboring Sudan. The 120 personnel and four Mi-8 helicopters provide transport and rescue services for UN military observers in Sudan.
The EU approved in April a plan to send a peacekeeping mission to Chad and the Central African Republic, after five years of clashes between government troops and Chadian rebels trying to oust President Idriss Deby, who seized power in 1990.
Over 700 people, including 400 civilians, were reported to have died in February this year following fighting triggered by a rebel assault on the Chadian capital, Ndjamena.
The EUFOR contingent, comprising 3,700 personnel from 14 EU countries, began a yearlong UN humanitarian mission in March to help protect the civilian population and provide humanitarian aid in the country's troubled eastern region.
Chad gained independence from France in 1960. Since 2003, Chad and Sudan have accused each other of inciting conflict on their common border, which includes most of the restive west Sudanese region of Darfur.
