Reuters: Russian airlines have purchased more than $1 billion worth of Western spare parts since sanctions were imposed

Since May 2022, when sanctions were imposed on the Russian aviation industry, Russian airlines have received aircraft parts worth at least $1.2 billion.

Source. This is stated in an investigation by Reuters, which analyzed customs data.

As an example, the investigation cites Ural Airlines, which imported more than 20 different American-made spare parts. According to the agency, the imported parts included both parts necessary to maintain airplanes in flight condition and "ordinary" items such as coffee makers and toilet seats.

According to customs data, all of these spare parts came to Russia through intermediaries in Tajikistan, the UAE, Turkey, China, and Kyrgyzstan – none of these countries supported Western sanctions against Russia, Reuters reminds.

Ural Airlines refused to comment on how they receive spare parts.

Before the sanctions were imposed, Russian airlines – Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, S7 and others – used to have their aircraft serviced by Western companies such as Lufthansa Technik (Germany).

When they stopped providing their services after the invasion of Ukraine began, Russian airlines had to turn to smaller suppliers, such as Moldova's Air Rock Solutions, Reuters reports.

The investigation says that S7 received components worth at least $1.23 million from Air Rock.

The company denies that it sold products to Russia.

Most of the cargoes listed in Russian customs documents as having been shipped by a Moldovan company went through winding routes, via the UAE or Kyrgyzstan.

The Moldovan company did not comment on this. S7 and Aeroflot also did not respond to the agency's inquiries.

Background. As a reminder, experts explained how Russia circumvents sanctions by obtaining Western-made chips.