There is an increasing Russian presence in Angola. This may be because the Cubaos, like the Angolans, have not done well. The Russians are in advisory or com and positions and have even participated in combat.
Brigadier Isidoro Huambo Chindondo, chief of military intelligence for UNITA, states The Cubans are responsible for atrocities against the local population. They are raping the women in Angola. They are destroying the food and the facilities for the local population. They are conducting roundup operations to get Angolan youngsters and to send them to the Island of Youth in Cuba.
They are stealing in industrial facilities in Angola, like the big machines in factories. They are putting these in Antonovs and then flying them back to Havana Cattle are also being flowo to Havana They are also putting the wood in Antonovs and flying it to Havana Intelligence Chief Huambo provided information on the organization of the military arm of the MPLA, the FAPLA (Popular Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola) At the top of the military structure is the Internationalist Committee.
This is composed of two groups: one is made up of all military personnel, basically Cubans and Russians, and the second is made up of military representatives of the MPLA Below it functions the National Council for Defense and Security, which is composed of representatives of the armed forces, the government, and the MPLA.
Then there is the commander in chief and the Defense Ministry. Underneath this functions the general staff, which has representatives of the army, air force and navy. There are ten military regions, each governed by a regional military council.
The basic unit of the FAPLA is the brigade. Each consists of between 600 and 700 men. There are two types of brigades: light infantry and mechanized. The strength of the FAPLA is approximately 80, 000 men. There is a militia (ODP) of about 60, 000 men. There are some 2, 500 men in the navy (MGPA) and 1, 500 in the air force (FAPA) There are also lesser numbers in Special Forces. The navy is equipped primarily with Soviet made patrol and fast attack craft. The air force has 14