A Yle investigation has revealed how Russia obtained spare parts for Airbus and Boeing despite sanctions. The schemes involve Dubai, Türkiye and China.
Since February 2022, aircraft parts worth at least €1 billion have been delivered to Russia, despite a formal ban on their delivery.
An investigation conducted by journalists from the Finnish broadcaster Yle has revealed the complete failure of the West's sanctions policy in the aviation sector.
These volumes of deliveries became possible, although officially it was not supposed to happen. After the start of a full-scale war, the EU and the US imposed some of the toughest sanctions against Russian civil aviation, which were believed to have paralyzed its work.
In reality, Russia has created a ramified procurement network and receives the necessary spare parts to service its aircraft. This primarily concerns 500 aircraft leased from Western companies before the war, but which were never returned when the demand for their recall began. Moscow formally refused to acknowledge this as theft.
The list of imported components includes both interior design elements and critical components: engines, on-board computers, radar systems. Some of them may well have dual purpose, including for military needs.
Yle's investigation focused on parts produced by two giants, Airbus and Boeing, by analysing internal customs databases provided by one of the commercial operators.
The sanctions circumvention scheme is based on a simple mechanism: although direct deliveries to the Russian Federation are prohibited, Russia purchases parts from third countries that are not subject to sanctions – primarily through Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates.
It is estimated that more than €600 million worth of Airbus parts and almost €400 million worth of Boeing parts have been shipped into Russia since the full-scale invasion began. And these figures may be incomplete, since some components are not accurately classified and customs reports do not always indicate whether products are new or used.
Subcontractors and intermediary companies play a key role in the scheme. The manufacturers themselves, despite formally complying with the restrictions, have no mechanisms to control the further movement of components, especially when it comes to previously used parts.
In written responses to Yle, Airbus and Boeing confirmed that they were complying with the current restrictions. Airbus said it was not legally able to supply aircraft, documentation or maintenance to Russia. Boeing noted that it had stopped cooperating with Russian customers back in early 2022.
However, both companies found it difficult to answer how exactly they prevent their products from entering Russia through indirect channels. Repeated clarifications from journalists also did not receive any response.
The investigation also identified more than 4,000 separate shipments of Airbus and Boeing parts from the sanctions' imposition until September 2024, involving at least 360 companies from different countries – many of which are now on sanctions lists.
Some companies sent just a few batches, others dozens or even hundreds. Often, the parts were sent to Russian technical centers, in particular to S7 Engineering, a company specializing in servicing Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
Although most of the buyers are nominally civilian airlines, many of them have direct ties to the state and generate income for Vladimir Putin's regime. Some of the structures are controlled by state shareholders, making them direct agents of the Kremlin's influence.
Dubai has become a major hub for evading sanctions
The United Arab Emirates, and Dubai in particular, have become a key point in schemes to circumvent Western sanctions against Russia. As Yle journalists have established, a significant portion of aircraft parts supplies to Russia are carried out through this region.
According to the investigation, there are about a hundred companies operating in the UAE involved in the sale of aircraft components for the Russian market. About a third of all detected deliveries were made through Dubai.
For example, just one company from this group has made at least 35 deliveries of aircraft parts since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022. It should be noted that such activity in the region was almost never recorded before this period.
After the sanctions were introduced, some companies in Dubai were included in the EU and US sanctions lists. But in practice, these restrictions do not work: as soon as one structure falls under sanctions, it is immediately replaced by new firms. Western governments are constantly one step behind.
The UAE has not officially imposed sanctions on Russia, so from a legal standpoint, the business does not violate local laws. However, it is likely that a significant number of such companies are owned by Russians themselves, either directly or through frontmen.
Aviation professor: Russia has lost technological potential
Professor Stephen Wright of Technological University Dublin helps explain why Russia is forced to buy up parts from all over the world. According to him, the country is experiencing an acute shortage of technologies that were previously familiar to it.
“Before the collapse of the USSR, Russia was among the leaders in the aviation industry. But after that, it effectively lost its expertise. Civil aviation was completely taken over by the West, while Russia focused on military developments,” explains Wright.
According to him, Russia could resume its own production, but this would require huge investments, which the current leadership is unlikely to be ready for. Therefore, the main focus is on imports, both through direct purchases from friendly countries and through aircraft servicing abroad.
Despite the risks, Wright does not believe that the parts purchased abroad will be used for military purposes.
“It just doesn't make sense because Russian military aircraft already have more sophisticated systems than civilian ones,” he says.
However, safety problems in Russian civil aviation are growing. The authorities themselves admit an increase in the number of air crashes since 2022. Experts explain this by a shortage of original parts and a transition to copies of dubious quality, as well as the use of old aircraft for spare parts.
“Flight safety in Russia is deteriorating, and we will not even know about some of the cases. In such a situation, talking openly about the risks means risking your own safety,” Professor Wright concludes.
Earlier, TSN.ua reported that Russia has found a new way to bypass Western sanctions. A new cryptocurrency, A7A5, has been launched in Kyrgyzstan, which has already moved more than $9 billion.
