WITHOUT GETTING INTO the details of the Lady R controversy, which has already been covered extensively claims that has been made in support of South Africa’s ongoing and very friendly relationship with Russia. Namely, that the Russian government, when it formed the core of the USSR and later as the Russian Federation, has been a steadfast and loyal friend of the African National Congress and the cause of freedom in South Africa in general, and an unwavering opponent of the Apartheid regime.
It turns out this isn't quite true.
There was a period between 1987 and South Africa’s first full democratic elections in April 1994 where first, the USSR, and then the Russian Federation were more than happy to do business with the Apartheid regime, even to the point of engaging in sanctions- busting, inviting South African military personnel for visits to Russia, and collaborating on top secret development projects.
This was driven by the new pragmatic approach of Mikhail Gorbachev, who approach of Mikhail Gorbachev, who became General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985 and who keenly understood the USSR’s desperate need for more foreign income after its disastrous misadventure in Afghanistan and years of an increasingly sclerotic domestic economy. The result was Perestroika, a massive restructuring of the Soviet economic and political system that was officially announced in July 1987.
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Esta historia es de la edición June 2023 de SA Flyer Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
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SACRIFICE
John continues his anecdotes about the sacrifices he has had to make in the course of his helicopter bush flying career.
KENYA - SAA PARTNERSHIP DELAY
KENYA AIRWAYS AND South African Airways announced the establishment of a highly anticipated Pan-African Airline Group three years ago.
TO PARIS FOR LUNCH
One morning I arrived back at Lanseria from a two day charter to a dreary Northern Cape iron mine. Entering the terminal, I removed my wings and epaulets, thrust them into my flight bag, and headed for the restaurant.
ASCA'S MPUMI MPOFU: READY FOR TAKE-OFF
Ms Mpumi Mpofu has occupied the hot seat as Chief Executive of ACSA, the Airports Company of South Africa for a tumultuous past four years.
HYDROGEN POWERED PLANE TESTED
WORLD’S LARGEST liquid hydrogen-powered aircraft, using a 1 MW fuel cell engine, has been tested.
CAMEROON - BLAMES BOEING
BOEING JUST CANNOT STAY out of trouble. It has become the whipping boy for endless absurd claims.
IRIS GOES TO SOMALIA
Having spent the last couple of years flying to a rota, I was thoroughly enjoying the freedom and randomness of flying charters at Sunbird Aviation.
TELEPORTATION
One of the best clients for whom I ever flew was BP, the British oil giant. I was with them in Algeria for about seven years, from the very start of their large gas projects, right in the heart of the Sahara Desert, near the small towns of In Amenas and In Salah.
FEBRUARY 2023
February has shown steady growth in the number of aircraft registered. Four fixed wing and one helicopter were added while the non-type certified (NTCA) register grew by seven.
RIGHT SEAT RULES NO. 16 FUEL SYSTEMS WHY SO COMPLICATED?
You know those aggranoying people who say, “Oh I wouldn't fly in one of those little things - you can't just pull over and fix it if something goes wrong\"? What makes this particularly irritating is that the bastards are right.