Russia has chosen countries to buy aircraft parts to circumvent sanctions

The Russian regime is planning to circumvent sanctions on the purchase of aviation parts for civilian aircraft with the help of a number of African and Asian countries. Reports have revealed Moscow’s plans.

Russia plans to purchase aircraft parts from a number of African and Asian countries, where it is possible to do so without violating sanctions. RBC, the Russian news agency, reports this based on a letter from the deputy head of Rosaviation, which two sources in the aviation industry have shared.

Proposal to add new countries to the list of nations where parts can be purchased

The Association of Air Transport Operators unites Russia’s largest airlines (AEPT). This agency proposed to Rosaviatsiya the addition of Indonesia, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, and Pakistan to the list of countries where spare parts can be purchased.

“These states and their aviation administrations have high results in ICAO audits, which indicates the proper organization of the flight safety system there,” Russian aviators said.

The same list, by the way, includes Iran, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Israel, Mexico, Turkey, India, Brazil, China, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Jordan, Thailand, Aruba, and South Africa.

Russia can probably leverage these countries to circumvent sanctions and buy aircraft parts

These are countries where Russia can probably buy aircraft parts to circumvent sanctions. And trade with these nations should require the special attention of the bodies that supervise sanctions evasion schemes.

The reason for expanding the list of countries where Russia is attempting to purchase aircraft parts is undisclosed.

A Russian government decree approved the initial list of countries on May 9, 2022, in response to US, Canadian, and EU sanctions against the Russian aviation industry following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

How international sanctions impacted Russia’s civil aviation

Earlier, the media published Russia’s leaked classified official documents, which belonged to Rosaviatsiya, a structural unit of the Russian Ministry of Transport.

Analysis of the documents confirmed the fact that Western sanctions have brought Russian civil aviation close to collapse.

Read more in our article: Russia’s civil aviation crisis gets closer to plane crashes — leaked documents

According to Newsweek, planes in Russia began to break down three times more often a year after the introduction of US and EU sanctions, which banned the supply of spare parts and technical support for aircraft.

Since the beginning of 2023, authorities have recorded more than 180 cases of in-flight malfunctions, compared to 60 incidents in 2022.

Russia evades sanctions through third countries to fuel its war efforts

To support the needs of its army and the war against Ukraine, Russia evades sanctions with the help of third countries. Those who, on the one hand, do not join the sanctions but, on the other hand, are not openly on the side of the aggressor country. However, they make good money on this.

After adopting each new package of restrictions, the West should immediately begin working on the next one to close any remaining loopholes in the sanctions policy. Closing the gaps for sanctions circumvention is one of the key points in the 12th package of EU sanctions.

Closing loopholes for sanctions evasion

Closing loopholes for sanctions evasion is a permanent process that should not stop in the West, according to experts. Russia will eventually reach a point where it cannot circumvent these sanctions.

The US and the EU have to talk to such third countries used by Moscow separately. For example, Kazakhstan has already had some talks. The country has significantly reduced its “parallel imports” of goods to Russia. Thus, Kazakhstan officially stopped trading certain goods. Astana did this immediately after the visit of Western officials.

Some Western companies realized that many Russians used Kazakhstan as a hub for trade with other nations, which influenced their decision to block goods for this country too. Therefore, companies began to block goods in this country too.

Still, the sanctions are already working. But for the main military industry, the Russians are still finding components. Putin’s regime will not be able to hold out for that long. Ensuring that sanctions are not evaded is essential in stopping Russia’s war machine and preventing its further spread to Europe.