Russia imported €1 billion worth of Airbus and Boeing parts despite sanctions – Yle

Yle reports that since February 2022, Russia has managed to import aircraft parts worth at least one billion euros, despite international sanctions. This happened through a complex network of middlemen in other countries.

Russia still has about 500 Western-made civilian planes that were leased when the full-scale war against Ukraine began. These planes were never returned.

Yle’s investigation focused on parts for Airbus and Boeing planes. The information came from Russian customs records provided by a commercial source.

During the war, Russia is believed to have imported at least 600 million euros worth of Airbus parts — including brand-new engines — and 400 million euros worth of Boeing spare parts. These were brought in through countries like Turkey, China, and the UAE. Some parts may have been used and resold to Russia.

Between February 2022 and August 2024, around 4,000 shipments of spare parts for Airbus and Boeing planes were sent to Russia. Over 360 companies from different countries were part of the supply chain. Many of them were already under Western sanctions. Some companies made just one delivery, while others made dozens or even hundreds.

About 100 of these companies were based in the UAE, and roughly one-third of all deliveries went through them.

When asked by the broadcaster, Airbus and Boeing said they follow sanctions laws but did not say what they are doing to stop their products from being resold to Russia through middlemen.