Another crew of Russian helicopter to fly to Sudan on July 31

Another crew of the Russian helicopter may fly to Sudan on Thursday, July 31, reported deputy general director of the Vertikal-T airline Kirill Anosov.

On July 29, the Sudanese authorities released the crew of the Mi-26T transport helicopter of the Tver Vertical-T airline, which made the UN humanitarian flight from Russia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was detained on July 21 in the town of El-Fasher (Sudan).

At the present moment the released pilots are staying on the premises of the residence of the Russian ambassador in Khartoum. "All are safe and sound," Anosov pointed out. At first, the Sudanese authorities said the cause of detainment of the helicopter was incorrect registration of the transit documents. Late on Tuesday evening the Sudanese embassy in Moscow declared that the Russian helicopter and the crew were detained by the Sudanese authorities because the pilots violated the rules of the flight.

The owner of the helicopter - the Vertical-T company, refuted the accusations of the Sudanese side concerning the violation of the flight's rules. The Russian foreign ministry sent an official protest to Sudan in connection with the detainment of the Russian pilots.