Russian airlines hugely evading sanctions

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 24 Aug 2023 by Alex Teddy

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On August 23 Reuters published an article saying that customs data proves that Russia has bought over USD 1.2 billion of Western made spare parts. Reuters said that the true value of the imported spare parts is higher than the proven shipment because it excludes shipments to companies in Russia that are not airlines.  Nordwind Airlines, S7, Aeroflot and Ural Airlines and others have obtained spare parts through buying them from third countries from May 2022 to June 2023. The parts were purchased from the UAE, China, Turkey, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. These last three are poverty-stricken former Soviet republics that are economically reliant on Russia. They are very susceptible to secondary sanctions. But that might push them towards Russia because they would have no alternative. Moldova is trying to join the EU. Western countries might think that China is too big to sanction and it could simply become more pro-Russian if sanctions were imposed. The UAE is a vital entrepot and is very vulnerable to sanctions. NATO does not want to irk Turkey because it could then veto Sweden's application to join. Turkey's brittle economy is suffering from high inflation. It trades a lot with Russia and welcomes over 1 million Russian tourists annually. The parts sold were made by Northrop Grumman which is American. These include cockpit displays, cabin pressure valves, landing gear and water filters. Russia has 541 Western made planes. Russian airlines have around 150 Russian-made passenger planes. It can easily produce more.  Russia is having to pay over the odds for spare parts. Third countries charge handling fees. They are also running a risk of having secondary sanctions ...