British firms among companies to have exported aircraft parts that reached Russia

British firms are among more than 100 western companies, including the aerospace giant Boeing, which have exported aircraft parts to India that reached Russia, according to customs data. Analysis suggests products worth more than $50m have passed through intermediaries in India to Russian airlines and other entities over a 21-month period up to September 2024. The parts appear to have been transported in 700 individual cargoes containing items ranging from critical 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 has said also acts as a defence contractor. It received about a quarter of the cargoes. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by western companies, nor that they were aware that their products were being moved on to Russia by the Indian firms. The direct sale of aircraft parts to Russian airlines and firms has been banned by the UK and the EU and is heavily restricted by US authorities. Western allies have struggled, however, to deal with the scores of intermediary firms that have moved in to prop up Russia with western-made goods and technology. The UK government highlighted its concerns in January when issuing new guidance for exporting businesses on “countering Russian sanctions evasion”. Firms were told to “undertake due diligence to ensure that the end destination of these products is not Russia”. The analysis of Indian customs data by Investigate Europe suggests that as of last September goods were still reaching Russia via India, often within days of their original dispatch.<br/>