More than 100 Western companies, including aerospace giant Boeing, exported aircraft parts to India, which then ended up in Russia.
Points of attention
- Over 100 Western companies, including Boeing, leveraged Indian intermediaries to supply aircraft parts to Russia, allowing Russian airlines to evade Western sanctions.
- Customs documents reveal that products worth over $50 million were shipped to Russia through India from January 2023 to September 2024, showcasing the scale of the operation.
- Western governments are targeting intermediary firms in various countries to curb Russia's access to Western-made goods and technology, with India emerging as a key conduit.
Russia still finds intermediaries to buy sanctioned goods
An analysis of customs documents reviewed by journalists shows that from January 2023 to September 2024, products worth more than $50 million were supplied to Russian airlines and other organizations through intermediaries in India.
The parts were transported in 700 separate loads, containing a wide variety of goods, from generators, sensors, propeller blades and cockpit displays to small screws, bolts and filters.
Most of the Russian importers appear to be civilian airlines, including Utair, which the EU says also acts as a defense contractor. It received about a quarter of the shipments.
The publication notes that Western companies may not have been aware that their products were being supplied to Russia by Indian firms. Direct sales of aircraft spare parts to Russian airlines and firms are banned by Britain and the EU, and are also severely restricted by US authorities.
Western allies, however, are trying to crack down on dozens of intermediary firms that support Russia with Western-made goods and technology. David Tannenbaum, a sanctions compliance expert and partner at Pole Star Global, said Western governments have focused on intermediaries in Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, but India has not been a major target.
Among the companies whose parts have been smuggled through India to Russia is Step Aviation, registered to a Latvian citizen. The company sent more than 60 shipments to Indian company Shaurya Aeronautics, and almost all of them were transferred to three buyers in Russia. In October, the US imposed economic sanctions on Shaurya for sending sensitive dual-use parts to Russia, but the company was not subject to sanctions by the UK or the EU.
British firm ASL Aerospace sent about 60 shipments from Britain and the US to four Indian firms, which were then redirected to Russia by Agrim Aviation Private Ltd. Agrim was subject to US sanctions for "likely" diverting US-made products to the Russian aviation industry, but was not subject to sanctions by Britain or the EU.
Since 2023, American Boeing has shipped at least 80 shipments to India, which were then partially or completely reshipped to Russia. Most of these shipments, including fasteners, valves, fuel sealants and batteries, went through the Indian buyer, Ascend Aviation.
The US imposed economic sanctions on the company and two of its directors on October 30, 2024, for participating in “sanctions evasion networks.” The EU and the UK did not follow suit.
Airbus subsidiary Satair shipped 12 cargoes to the same Indian firm between September 2023 and May 2024. All of them were later shipped to Russian buyers, including the country's largest airline, state-owned Aeroflot.
An Indian government official told the publication that they do not believe the firms have violated local laws, but the companies will be informed of recent changes in international export controls.
