Russian airlines have largely defied Western sanctions aimed at grounding their fleets by building a shadow supply chain for Boeing and Airbus spare parts routed through India, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Kazakhstan, according to a new Bloomberg investigation. 

The number of Airbus and Boeing jets flown by Russian carriers has seen only minimal decline since 2023, with Russia’s 46 carriers operating 838 passenger jets as of April 30, more than half of which are Airbus or Boeing models. Russian airlines offered roughly 122-million scheduled seats to domestic and international destinations last year, approximately the same as in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine. Flag carrier Aeroflot generated its most revenue since at least 2000, reaching 902.3 billion rubles, or approximately $11 billion, Bloomberg said.

“All predictions that Russian aircraft would be grounded within two to three months after sanctions were imposed were based on an incorrect assessment of the situation,” Oleksandr Laneckij, director of Vilnius-based aviation consultancy Friendly Avia Support, told the news outlet. 

At the center of the news agency’s investigation is Marine Equipments Centre (MEC), a Kochi, India-based spare parts trader run by a retired naval officer, Ajay Kumar. Indian trade records reviewed by the news agency show MEC purchased two CFM International engines for approximately $17 million from Luxembourg-based Vallair Asset Solutions (VAS), with the machines shipped from Canada to India under contracts that explicitly prohibited re-export to Russia. 

Within two months of the engines’ arrival in India, MEC resold them to Rossiya Airlines, one of Russia’s largest carriers, for approximately $24 million, Bloomberg reported. The engines are designed for Airbus A320 aircraft.

VAS told Bloomberg it was unaware of the onward shipment to Russia until contacted by the news organization, calling the transaction “in blatant violation” of the sales agreements. The company has since disclosed the matter to U.S. and European authorities and strengthened its Know Your Customer program, according to the report. An intermediary in the deal, Mumbai-area firm Aman Aviation & Aerospace Solutions, subsequently told VAS it was unaware of MEC’s intentions and was withdrawing its business relationship with MEC.

The situation wasn’t unique, however. The news outlet identified at least 30 companies that exported aircraft-specific parts to Russia last year, noting that the real total is likely considerably higher. 

Among other active traders in Indian records is Chandsara Aviation, founded in 2023 with Russia as its sole export customer and more than $10 million in shipments to Aeroflot and entities under the S7 Group, according to Bloomberg. One Chandsara-linked company, Shreegee Pvt. Ltd., shares a logo, address, and multiple directors with Shreegee Impex Pvt. Ltd., which the U.S. sanctioned in 2024 for supplying Russia with hundreds of dual-use items including aviation parts.

China has also dramatically expanded its role, exporting at least $961 million in aircraft parts to Russia between March 2022 and February 2026, or more than four times the volume from the equivalent period before the invasion, according to Trade Data Monitor data cited by Bloomberg.