The New York Times has published an investigation into how US-made spare parts end up on Russian airlines, despite sanctions. Journalists refer to data from Russian customs, according to which, in the last year alone, millions of dollars worth of aircraft parts from Boeing, Airbus and other companies were sent to Russia.
The May 11 arrest of Oleg Patsuli and his girlfriend is just one of the stories in this channel.
Last week, FBI agents searched Oleg Patsula’s apartment at the Trump Towers complex in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.
Patsulya and his accomplice are accused of arranging the supply of spare parts, including expensive braking systems for Boeing 737s, to at least two Russian airlines, which were strictly prohibited from buying products made in the States States under a temporary ban issued by the US Department of Commerce.
According to the New York Times, the scheme was one of many attempts to circumvent sanctions imposed on the Russian aircraft industry. According to Russian customs data obtained by the publication, thousands of shipments of aircraft parts were successfully sent to Russia last year.
Most of the products were sent via countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China and the Maldives. But several shipments were sent to Russia directly from the United States or Europe.
According to the publication, the data records more than 5,000 unique aircraft parts shipments to Russia over eight months in 2022, ranging from simple propellers to a $290,000 Honeywell-branded aircraft engine starter.
In just eight months, $14.4 million worth of US-made aircraft parts were shipped to Russia, including $8.9 million of parts described as manufactured or manufactured under the Boeing brand and sold to Russia through third parties.
Boeing, in response to a New York Times investigation, said it fully complied with US sanctions and suspended parts, maintenance and technical support for customers in Russia in early 2022.
Aviation supply chain experts believe aircraft parts likely arrived in Russia from a variety of sources, including airline stocks in third countries, repair shops or dealers selling scrap parts.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States, along with the governments of more than 40 other countries, imposed sanctions on Russia, including restricting Moscow’s access to weapons, to computer chips, aircraft parts and other goods needed to fuel its economy and fight its war.
The sanctions also apply to Russian airlines, including Aeroflot, its subsidiary Rossiya and others.
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