Actually, not a single spare part for Western aircraft used in Russia should come to the Russian Federation. At least that is what the sanctions implemented by the USA and the EU, among others, provide. In reality, however, the opposite is the case, as Russian carriers continue to obtain the parts they need through intermediaries.

The Russian portal “Vyorstka”, which is considered critical of the government, reports, among other things, that from the beginning of the year until around the end of July 2023, the carriers Rossiya, Pobeda, S7 Airlines and Aeroflot have been purchasing spare parts for aircraft from the manufacturers Airbus and Boeing worth around 110 million US dollars. could import dollars into the Russian Federation. But how is that actually possible when parts are no longer allowed to be delivered into the country due to the sanctions?

For this purpose, the Russian carriers use specially founded subsidiaries that are located abroad. They purchase the sought-after spare parts through intermediaries and then “export” them to the Russian Federation. As an example, the news report cites the airline S7, which went on a purchasing spree through a subsidiary called "Globus" through a Chinese company called "DLA (GZ) Technology Co". It was proven that engines for the A320 series arrived in Russia in this way. For the Embraer 170 machine, General Electric drives could be obtained from a construction company in the United Arab Emirates.

Parts also reached Russia via Armenia. For example, a company called A Trade Service acted as a middleman for Honeywell parts that Pobeda wanted. Rossiya Airlines used the Chinese company Yunnan Rongjin Agriculture China Products as a “vehicle” for the required pressure measuring devices that were manufactured in the USA.

At the time the sanctions were announced, the goal was for Russian carriers to run out of spare parts within a short period of time and therefore no longer be able to use the machines. The reality is that almost all units are still in the air and are being supplied with parts in a variety of ways. Original parts can be obtained through intermediaries in third countries, in Iran you buy “home-made” parts and you also want to make such copies yourself.

In the area of ​​maintenance, the regulations have now been significantly relaxed. This also applies, for example, to dealing with worn brakes. The so-called minor incidents are now increasing in Russia. In the West it is assumed that there is a significant security risk. People in the Russian Federation don't want to hear about it and that may well have something to do with the fact that the sanctions can apparently be easily circumvented with the help of middlemen and front companies based abroad with the desired results. Iran could have provided certain “development aid” here, because the isolated state has been doing exactly this for decades and “imports” entire aircraft through front companies and middlemen.