 Critical of the idea of Iran-bound missiles aboard the "Arctic Sea", Russian journalist Maxim Kononenko pointed out that Russia has direct access to Iran through the Caspian Sea.However, Russia deployed two Ilyushin Il-76 transporter planes with a load capacity of at least 45 tons each to Amílcar Cabral International Airport in Cape Verde, which prompts the question whether there was more payload than the 14 crew members and 8 suspects to be taken home.Sal International Airport has a long history as a strategic refueling location for Russian and former Soviet Bloc aircraft flying to and from Latin America and the Caribbean.