Despite sanctions, dozens of aircraft are still being imported into Russia, according to Russian media reports.

Despite sanctions, foreign aircraft continue to be supplied to Russia through third countries. In 2024, at least 28 aircraft were imported into the aggressor country.

According to the Russian opposition publication "Verstka"

Most often, the banned aircraft for sale to Russia were imported through Turkey (11 times), three aircraft were delivered via Oman, two through the United Arab Emirates, and the same number through Germany. Among the intermediary countries noted at Russian customs were Serbia, Sweden, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia. Ireland, Cyprus, and Kyrgyzstan were mentioned in customs declarations only as codes.

Out of the 28 aircraft, several were passenger Bombardier, Airbus, ATR 42-500, and Hawker 800 XP models.

One Bombardier aircraft, valued at approximately $45.5 million, was imported in the name of Denis Krasnopolsky – the CEO of the joint-stock company "Inpromaktiv," which is involved in the production of aircraft.

Additionally, Bombardier aircraft valued between $24.5 million and $32.8 million were imported by the airline "Meridian" from the UAE, which uses them for passenger flights between Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Tehran, Baku, Astana, and other cities.

Another Bombardier, worth about 16 million euros, was delivered to the airline Skylight from the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, and is currently operating flights to China, Turkey, Dubai, and the Maldives.

The French Airbus A319-111, valued at around $35 million, purchased by the Russian company "Aurora" through Lithuania, operates flights in the Russian Far East. Furthermore, a passenger Boeing 737-800 was acquired by the Yakut airline "Alrosa" for flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Blagoveshchensk.

According to customs documents, nine aircraft were brought in by the company "Modern Technologies," founded by 52-year-old businessman Yevgeny Kabanov. He is the founder of the Turkish company Edermont LTD and the Kyrgyz company "Edermont Pamir," through which the aircraft are supplied to Russia. In particular, Kabanov's companies facilitated the import of Cessna and Aero Commander 680V aircraft intended for civil aviation, as well as the American Piper PA-28RT-201T aircraft.

At the same time, a company linked to Kabanov openly advertised the import of aircraft bypassing sanctions.

In the first case, Kabanov claims there are two options: the first is to fly the aircraft yourself or hire a pilot. In the latter case, the aircraft heads to its base location, where it undergoes Russian registration and obtains a certificate of airworthiness.

Another option is transportation by land or sea. In this case, Kabanov states that the aircraft must be disassembled, loaded into a container, and sent to an intermediate destination.

After customs clearance, it proceeds to the final destination, where it goes through customs again. Then, at the base location, the aircraft needs to be reassembled, flown, and necessary documents obtained.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported on the schemes the aggressor uses for repairing foreign aircraft, who assists in this process, and whether Russian planes will indeed be able to operate their flights for another seven years.