Russian customs data show that millions of dollars worth of aircraft parts for Boeing, Airbus and other aircraft were imported into Russia last year despite sanctions, the New York Times reported, citing customs documents.
Data collected and analyzed by US trade data aggregator Import Genius shows that tens of millions of dollars worth of aircraft parts have been shipped to Russian sanctioned airlines - Aeroflot, Rossiya, Pobeda, Ural Airlines, S7 and UTair.
These deliveries were made possible by shady networks operating to circumvent the restrictions. Goods were transported through intermediaries, including those in the Middle East and Asia.
For example, last year Aeroflot's warehouses received dozens of batches of spare parts labeled as manufactured in the USA by the Boeing concern. They passed through little-known trading companies, free trade zones and industrial parks in the UAE and China, and then ended up in Russia.
The data analyzed by journalists covers more than 5 shipments of aircraft parts to Russia during the first eight months of 2022 - from simple mounting screws to a $290 Honeywell aircraft engine starter.
In total, during this period, American-made spare parts worth $14,4 million were sent to Russia, writes the New York Times.