Sudan has taken the delivery of a training vessel that was donated by their Russian allies that is part of bilateral military cooperation that the two countries are in. The vessel was received at the Port Sudan Naval Base in the presence of a Russian delegation and Sudanese officials.
The donated vessel appears to be a Project UK-3 (NATO Petrushka) class vessel (UK-307/Orson) built in Gdansk, Poland, in 1989. It accommodates 13 crew members and 28 cadets and instructors.
Russia and Sudan entered the bilateral pact in 2017 in a deal that includes allowing access for Russian warships to Sudanese ports. According to the Sudanese side, the vessel is an apt addition to the fleet and will facilitate the training of the country’s naval officers.
Intelligence indicates that the donation comes as Russia attempts to establish a naval base in Sudan. A bilateral draft agreement between the two countries would allow for Russia to establish a naval logistics base in Sudan for the repair and supply of warships as well as provide rest to sailors. In the event of the establishment, up to 300 crew and four warships may stay at the naval logistics base, including ships with nuclear-propulsion systems. The publication added that the agreement states that Russia is willing to deliver weapons and military hardware to Sudan for free in order to maintain the air defense of the Sudanese naval base at Port Sudan, where the Russian naval facility would be built.
Russia has been positioning itself as an ally to the African continent in the past couple of years as a way to return to pre-cold war status as well as gain an upper hand against other superpowers like China and the US in the ‘scramble for Africa’ type of collaboration that has been observed in the past few years. Apart from Sudan, Russia has been donating and is projected to extend military collaboration and support to several African including Mozambique, Central Africa Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, and Madagascar.
