Africa’s second most powerful army flies through NATO airspace to Moscow as Poland explains its clearance

The aircraft departed from Algeria’s Boufarik air base on 6 October and travelled over Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland before continuing through Belarus to Moscow’s Vnukovo airport.

Polish reporting identified it as a Lockheed C-130H-30 Hercules, a military transport aircraft. Its cargo and the purpose of the journey have not been publicly established.

Poland’s military says the flight received permission based on information submitted by Algeria. The Algerian authorities did not declare dangerous materials aboard, according to the Polish military’s operational command spokesperson.

According to Wirtualna Polska’s 7 October report⁠, the spokesperson explained the clearance after the flight attracted media attention. The report made it clear that the aircraft used an authorised route through Poland, rather than making an unauthorised entry into its airspace.

A recurring route to Russia

The journey follows other reported movements by Algerian transport aircraft between Russia and North Africa.

Polish specialist publication Defence24, cited by Wirtualna Polska and Ukrainian military outlet Militarnyi, has tracked aircraft including Ilyushin Il-76s and Hercules transports on the route. Militarnyi’s account places the latest journey within that broader pattern.

Military transport aircraft can move personnel, equipment and supplies, but their type and destination do not establish what a particular flight carried.

The published reporting therefore does not prove that the 6 October aircraft delivered weapons to Russia, supported operations in Ukraine or breached sanctions.

Algeria’s longstanding Russian connection

Algeria’s defence relationship with Moscow provides relevant background to the flights.

China supplied 19% and Germany 14%. These figures measure transfers of major conventional weapons, rather than the value of every defence purchase.

Equipment purchased from overseas suppliers creates continuing requirements for spare parts, maintenance, training and technical support. Such needs help explain why military relationships can involve regular transport movements long after an initial purchase.