Where did Russia source critical components for civil aviation in 2025?
27 May 21:40
In 2025, at least 30 companies exported spare parts for civil aircraft, including engines, to Russia. This data was compiled from various sources and indicates that aviation equipment is entering Russia via countries such as India, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Kazakhstan.
This was reported by Bloomberg, as cited by "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the publication, some spare parts were tracked by serial numbers, which made it possible to trace their movement from Western suppliers through intermediaries to Russian companies.
Using data from Big Trade Data, Bloomberg found that these firms supplied aircraft parts to Russia last year. However, this figure likely reflects only a portion of actual shipments, as not all countries disclose detailed transaction-level data, and Russia has stopped publishing detailed trade statistics.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
Sanctions and Corporate Liability
Although many of these import-export companies are located in countries that do not impose sanctions against Russia, they often purchase parts from suppliers subject to restrictions from Washington, Brussels, or London.
“Sanctions are designed to cover not only direct shipments of prohibited goods to Russia, but also indirect ones. In such cases, companies are not exempt from liability,” said Francis Bond, an expert on corporate crime at the London law firm Macfarlanes LLP.
The State of Russia’s Air Fleet
According to data from the analytics firm Cirium Ltd., as of April 30, 2025, 46 Russian airlines operated 838 passenger aircraft. More than half of them—460—were Airbus or Boeing aircraft. These figures have remained relatively stable since 2023, with the exception of the newer A320neo family of narrow-body aircraft, whose operation is gradually being phased out.
As a reminder, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service previously stated that by 2030, Russia will have to retire approximately 230 domestic and 109 imported civilian aircraft due to a lack of access to maintenance services.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
