Russian airlines receive at least $1.2bn worth of aircraft parts despite sanctions

Russian air carriers have received aircraft spare parts worth at least $1.2 billion despite Western sanctions

This is reported by Reuters with reference to Russian customs data.

The purchased equipment includes parts from the US company Northrop Grumman.

The company said it has "robust processes and procedures to help ensure compliance with all applicable export and sanctions-related laws and regulations." Therefore, Northrop Grumman could not sell the parts to Russia.

Reuters found out that Russia could buy parts through intermediaries in Tajikistan, the UAE, Türkiye, China, and Kyrgyzstan.

For example, in July 2022, Istikloliyat 20, a construction company in Tajikistan, sent spare parts to Ural Airlines via the UAE.

Journalists also learned about the Russian airline Nordwind Airlines, owned by Karine Bukrey. The company imported hundreds of parts from Ramses Turizm, a Turkish company owned by Bukrey's husband Ramazan Akpinar.

It will be recalled that among the wreckage of the Russian Lancet drone, the Ukrainian military found an engine made by the Czech company Models Motors.