Douglas Edward Robertson, 56, of Olathe, Kansas, accepted his part in selling and exporting 鈥渟ophisticated and controlled鈥� avionics equipment to customers in Russia, in breach of US laws put in place following President Vladamir Putin精东影业 invasion of Ukraine in 2022.聽聽

The (DOJ) said Robertson, the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company, circumvented US export laws by falsifying forms and conspired with two other men.聽

鈥淩obertson, by his own admission, conspired to sell advanced U.S. avionics equipment to Russian customers in violation of U.S. law,鈥� Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen, said. 鈥淭he Justice Department will not tolerate those who seek to undermine the effectiveness of export controls that protect critical U.S. technology and deter Russia精东影业 aggression in Ukraine.鈥� 

Robertson admitted between 2020 and 2023, that he, Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky and Oleg Chistyakov from Latvia, smuggled equipment to customers in Russia and other countries by lying about the exports鈥� value, end users and end destinations.聽

Russian Federal Security Service

In one instance, the three men smuggled a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).聽聽

In 2021 an FSB sticker was removed from the system and then repaired in the US before being shipped back out to the Russian security service. 

Robertson admitted that following the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the group shipped avionics equipment through intermediary companies in Armenia, Laos, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus before finally reaching Russia. 

鈥淭hose who seek to profit by illegally selling sophisticated U.S. technology to our adversaries are putting the national security of our country at risk and that cannot be tolerated,鈥� said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI精东影业 National Security Branch.  

He added: 鈥淚t is appalling that the defendant schemed to smuggle avionics equipment to customers overseas including Russia, a nation engaged in a long-running military conflict with Ukraine.鈥� 

Robertson, who was arrested in March 2023, faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, 20 years in prison for each of the two Export Control Reform Act counts, and 20 years in prison for the money laundering count. He is due for sentencing on October 3, 2024.  

In 2023, Buyanovsky, the former president and owner of KanRus, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and money laundering and consented to the forfeiture of over $450,000 worth of avionics equipment and accessories, and a $50,000 personal forfeiture judgment. 

Chistyakov, a former KanRus broker, was arrested in Riga, Latvia, for his role in the illegal smuggling scheme. The US has applied for his extradition.聽聽

Airbus delivers first-ever H160 helicopter in the United States

• Aircraft

byIan Molyneaux

July 4, 2024

A forfeiture complaint was filed against the aircraft part on May 1, 2024, after the landing gear was sold in June 2023 by a Florida-based aircraft parts overhauler and reseller for $1.55 million. 

According to the DOJ, the Boeing 737 landing gear was purchased for the benefit of LLC RM Design and Development (RMDD), a Kyrgyz Republic-based transhipper of dual-use items, to service Russia in violation of US economic sanctions.聽

Court documents revealed that the Boeing 737-800 landing gear was sold by the Florida reseller to an intermediary in Istanbul, Turkey, called GQ Solution Elektronik Ekipman Limited Sirketi. 

In July 2023, the Treasury Department精东影业 (OFAC) designated RMDD as a Specially Designated National for operating in the electronics sector of the Russian economy.聽聽聽

According to OFAC, the Kyrgyz Republic-based firm was established in March 2022, less than a month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It described the company as a 鈥減rolific shipper of dual-use goods to Russia, including to firms that have supplied electronics to Russia-based defense companies鈥�. 

As a result of OFAC精东影业 efforts, all property belonging to RMDD in the US has subsequently been blocked. 

Five days after OFAC designated RMDD as a Specially Designated National, the company sent an email to the reseller in Florida to 鈥渟witch [the purchase] fully to our partners GQ Solution鈥�.聽聽聽

‘Today精东影业 complaint stops an attempted illegal transfer’

Following the email, all mentions of RMDD were scrubbed from invoices for the landing gear. 

Crucially, on August 29, 2023, GQ Solution completed the End User Certification form agreeing to 鈥渘ot export or re-export U.S. products, technology or software鈥� to any restricted country unless otherwise authorized by the United States Government鈥�. 

On September 1, 2023, US Customs and Border Protection informed the shipper that it had detained the landing gear shipment at the airport in Miami.聽聽

鈥淭his Office continues to use every tool it has to stop illegal transactions with Russian businesses,鈥� US Attorney Matthew Graves said. 鈥淭oday精东影业 complaint stops an attempted illegal transfer to the Russian Federations of parts for airplanes and seeks to permanently deprive both the Russian Federation and the company that tried to sell them of these goods.鈥�  

Additionally, the State Department announced new sanctions on May 1, 2024, against entities operating in Russia精东影业 technology sector, including GQ Solution Elektronik Limited in connection with the company精东影业 supplying of electronic components to Russia-based companies.聽

Delta officially unveils new Airbus A350 with bold Team USA Olympic Games livery聽

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

May 3, 2024

Oleg Sergeyevhich Patsulya and Vasilii Sergeyevich Besedin, who live in Miami-Dade County, Florida, both admitted conspiring to violate the US Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) while Patsulya also pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit international money laundering. 

From May 2022 to May 2023, the two men obtained orders for various aircraft parts and components from Russian buyers 鈥� primarily commercial airline companies. 

They then sourced the parts from US suppliers and unlawfully exported the materials to Russia while circumventing export laws and regulations that were put in place following Russia精东影业 invasion of Ukraine.聽

The defendants admitted to knowing the items were controlled and required a license from the Department of Commerce to export. 

In one example, they conspired to export multiple shipments of a carbon disc brake system used on Boeing 737 aircraft. 

Besedin and Patsulya provided false information that the parts were intended for countries other than Russia such as Turkey.   

US authorities were able to detain, prior to export, multiple shipments made by the defendants containing units of the brake assembly technology. 

The defendants also made false statements both orally to one supplier and in the export compliance forms for parts where money was received from a Russian airline company to make the purchase.聽

Up to 20 years in prison

In total, US bank accounts associated with the conspiracy received at least $4,582,288 sent from Russian airline companies through Turkish bank accounts to purchase aircraft parts and components intended for unlawful export. 

鈥淏y their own admission, the defendants fraudulently procured millions of dollars鈥� worth of U.S.-origin aircraft equipment to smuggle to Russian airline companies,鈥� said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department精东影业 National Security Division. 鈥淭hese pleas are the latest example of the Department精东影业 commitment to bringing to justice those whose crimes enrich the Russian regime.鈥� 

Conspiracy to export items from the US without a license in violation of the Export Control Reform Act and conspiracy to commit international money laundering carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 

鈥淭hese defendants smuggled sensitive aircraft technology into Russia following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and did so in violation of laws designed to protect America精东影业 national security,鈥� Attorney General Merrick Garland said. 鈥淭oday精东影业 guilty pleas reflect the seriousness with which the Justice Department approaches violations of the law that endanger the United States and benefit our adversaries.鈥� 

The Russian nationals will be sentenced on June 17, 2024.聽

EU bans Southwind Airlines due to links with Russia 聽

• Airlines

byMiquel Ros

April 2, 2024

By initiating legal proceedings in November 2023, as reported by , Volga-Dnepr Airlines contends that it did not play any role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and did not provide aviation services to Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded private military organization. The airline asserts that its inclusion on the sanctions list was an erroneous decision.

The carrier’s legal complaint also challenges the current storage conditions of its Antonov An-124, which, according to Volga-Dnepr, is currently “suffering from exposure to the elements and receiving no maintenance whatsoever,” as stated in the lawsuit.

Canada seizes Russian Antonov An-124 at Toronto Airport

• Air Cargo
• War in Ukraine

byClement Charpentreau

June 11, 2023

The 28.9 year-old Antonov An-124-100-150 in question, registered as RA-82078, has been stranded at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) since February 27, 2023, after Canada barred any Russian aircraft from entering or exiting its airspace and eventually imposed sanctions on its operators. Since then, the An-124 has remained parked on the east side of YYZ airport

The Canadian government officially ordered the seizure of the Antonov An-124 in June 2023, as part of newly imposed sanctions introduced on April 5, 2023. At the time Melanie Joly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, justified the government’s decision to seize the An-124, stating that it sent a clear message to the Russian regime. The restrictive measures on Volga-Dnepr were supposed to “put additional pressure on Russia to stop its illegal war against Ukraine by straining its economic system and limiting resources that fuel the war.”

The Canadian sanctions targeted not only Volga-Dnepr Airlines but also its parent company, Volga-Dnepr Group, and its two subsidiaries, AirBridgeCargo Airlines and a Moscow-based cargo carrier ATRAN.

Canada will transfer confiscated Antonov An-124 from Volga-Dnepr to Ukraine

• Aircraft
• War in Ukraine

byRytis Beresnevicius

April 17, 2023

According to the Ch-aviation.com , Volga-Dnepr Group has ten An-124s in its fleet, four of which, including the RA-82078, are stranded at international airports.

Igor Chalik, Deputy Minister of Transport, addressed the situation, stating that there are no issues with the fund allocation mechanism, only “organizational questions鈥�. 

The NWF had earmarked 300 billion rubles (about $4 billion) to facilitate the acquisition of approximately 80-90 foreign aircraft by Russian airlines in March 2023. The aim was to continue air transport operations in the country despite geopolitical challenges.  

Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline has already bought out 10 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from financial leasing and is currently negotiating terms for another 47. 

An amendment to European Union (EU) sanctions, published on April 8, 2023, enables its lessors to accept payments from Russian companies that have received aircraft on financial lease under agreements concluded before the beginning of Russia精东影业 invasion to Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The ownership of the aircraft can be transferred after the lease payments have been made. 

Western nations also demanded their lessors reclaim leased aircraft from Russia. However, Russian authorities issued a countermanding directive, transferring the aircraft to a domestic registry and continuing to operate in the country. 

While the NWF fund had to be distributed equitably among several airlines, the lack of clear allocation criteria and the delay in distributing the funds has caused an increasing level of uncertainty, casting a shadow over the initiative. 

Despite reaching or nearly finalizing terms for insurance settlements with Western aircraft owners, other Russian airlines, such as S7, Ural Airlines, RusLine, and iFly, are still waiting for their share of the funding. 

“It is difficult to say when they will receive them,鈥� Chalik was quoted as saying by TASS on July 24, 2023. 鈥淗owever, our task is to complete this program in any case by the end of September.”  

As the September 2023 deadline approaches, it is estimated that Russia is losing around $700 million a day for its war in Ukraine and around $150 million a day due to sanctions. As of June 1, 2023, Russia’s NWF stood at the equivalent of $153.1 billion.  

Currently, more than 500 leased foreign-made aircraft remain in Russia and are valued at approximately $20 billion. 

Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov service return delayed to late 2024

• Defense

byEmilia Stankeviciute

July 4, 2023

Iranian media that a ceremony was held on February 17, 2023, after Yazd Air精东影业 first flight from Tehran精东影业 Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA) landed at Yazd Sadooghi International Airport (AZD), the airline精东影业 base.

The ceremony in Yazd, a historic city in central Iran, was attended by senior government officials from Iran精东影业 ministry of tourism.

It is reported that private investors spent 10 trillion rials ( $22 million) on the launch of Yazd Air.

What are Yazd Air精东影业 destinations and fleet?

The new airline will reportedly use two Airbus A310s for flights to international destinations, such as Najaf in Iraq, Dubai, Istanbul and Mumbai. 

For domestic routes, it will use two short-haul British Aerospace 146 planes. 

Iran精东影业 second largest airline Mahan Air will provide Yazd Air its services in its first two months of operation, and the new airline will eventually set up its own offices after recruiting around 70 staff members.

US sanctions on Iran精东影业 aviation industry

The launch of Yazd Air comes despite existing US sanctions on Iran精东影业 civil aviation. 

The first sanctions were imposed in the US in 1979 following the Islamic revolution in Iran. 

In 2015, President Obama signed an executive order lifting the sanctions against Iran to purchase nuclear weapons. 

The sanctions were reinstated by Obama精东影业 successor President Trump in 2018. 

Explaining the US sanctions on Iran, a spokesperson from the US Department of State said in : 鈥淭he Iranian regime has been caught red-handed, building a covert nuclear weapons program, threatening the United States and our allies around the world.鈥�

Part of the include the prevention of Iran buying aircraft parts directly from the open market, which the country has been circumventing by.

Iran confirms purchase of four聽Airbus A340 airliners

• Aircraft

byClement Charpentreau

December 30, 2022

The Moscow-based airline recently acquired the 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, 鈥渨hich have been under financial lease from an Irish leasing company since 2013 and 2014,鈥� Aeroflot revealed in a statement seen by Russian state-owned news agency on December 30, 2022.

鈥淎eroflot will continue to work on further implementation of transactions for the purchase of aircraft in order to maintain the current fleet of foreign-made aircraft in operation and expand the possibility of their operation. This approach also confirms the reliability of Aeroflot as a counterparty that responsibly fulfills its contractual obligations,鈥� the air carrier was cited as explaining.

Aeroflot CEO could create a new hub close to border with North Korea, China

• Airlines

byGabriele Petrauskaite

Aeroflot made a similar purchase in May 2022, buying eight Airbus A330 widebodies, which were also leased from Western companies. The planes had been stranded in Russia following international sanctions imposed on the country精东影业 aviation industry due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Although Aeroflot has not specified which lessors were involved in the recent acquisition, the air carrier confirmed in its statement that the transaction was completed following 鈥渁ll the required permits from Russian and foreign regulators鈥�.

Aeroflot Group signs purchase agreement for 339 Russian-built aircraft

• Airlines

byGabriele Petrauskaite

However, it remains to be seen whether by selling the aircraft to the major Russian airline the lessors have violated the European Union’s restrictive measures in view of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Aeroflot top executive sentenced to 7 years imprisonment in major fraud case

• Civil Aviation

byGabriele Petrauskaite

According to Planespotters.com , Aeroflot currently operates a mixed fleet consisting of 173 planes as of January 3, 2023. The airline has 22 Boeing 777-300ERs, the majority of which are marked as leased from Russian state-owned lessors VEB Leasing and GTLK.

In the interview, Alexandrovsky said that it is “important that the state balances the interests of Russian and international carriers. Because it is obvious that foreign carriers now have much more opportunities and advantages in these conditions”.

As a consequence of Russia invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many countries and companies imposed sanctions on Russia, including flight bans on Russian carriers. Other sanctions include the UK banning Russian airlines from selling valuable airport slots, Canadian business jet manufacturer Bombardier canceling Russian orders and ceasing all activities with Russian clients.

According to Alexandrovsky, competitors, including Turkish Airlines and Emirates had benefited most from the situation, and called for “state protectionism” to preserve domestic aviation.

“For example, when flights to Turkey were opened, none of the Russian airlines could fly there, and Turkish carriers entered the market at very large volumes. In this situation, it is probably important that the state balances the interests of Russian and international carriers,” Alexandrovsky said.

Russia精东影业 Deputy Prime Minister 鈥榥ot aware鈥� of total aircraft cannibalization

• MRO

byGabriele Petrauskaite

December 23, 2022

Airbus Defence & Space chief executive Michael Schoellhorn confirmed that the manufacturer plans to fully halt its reliance on Russia for titanium 鈥渨ithin months鈥�.  

Even though the senior executive could not provide a precise date when Airbus will completely forgo Russian metals since 鈥渋t is a relatively complex process with certification,鈥� he ensured that 鈥渋t will happen鈥�, according to the company精东影业 sustainability briefing seen by on December 1, 2022. 

鈥淲e are in the process of decoupling from Russia when it comes to titanium. It will be a matter of months, not years. […] For the time being, Airbus still procures a certain percentage of Russian titanium, but we are clearly on a track of becoming independent of it,鈥� Schoellhorn was cited as saying. 

While the manufacturer is currently exploring potential new titanium sources, it has reportedly increased its metal acquisition levels from both Japan and the US. 

Russia-based company VSMPO-AVISMA, which is considered the world精东影业 largest titanium supplier, has been a major metal provider for both Airbus and its rival Boeing. However, Boeing cut ties with Russian providers in early March 2022, arguing that it had already found reliable alternative suppliers to continue its production uninterruptedly. 

Why is titanium so important for aircraft manufacturing? 

Titanium and titanium alloys are widely used in the aircraft construction process due to their characteristics, such as a high level of corrosion resistance compared to steel and aluminum.  

Since titanium has both high strength and low density, it has a high strength-to-weight ratio, which allows plane makers to reduce aircraft weight without sacrificing structural integrity. Reducing weight helps manufacturers increase aircraft range while minimizing fuel use. 

The titanium supply chain crisis: how it began and what it means for aerospace

• Aviation Manufacturing

byValius Venckunas

October 23, 2022

The recent order denies export privileges and terminates the right for the airline to take part in transactions subject to US export regulations, reported on October 17, 2022. It means that Ural Airlines is no longer allowed to export and re-export any products from the US and is prohibited to re-export any US-produced goods from third countries. 

Currently, there are more than twelve Russian airlines on the US authority精东影业 list. These include Russia精东影业 national carrier Aeroflot, AirBridgeCargo, Aviastar-TU, Alrosa, and Azur Air, as well as Nordwind, Pegas Fly, Pobeda, Rossiya Airlines, Royal Flight, S7 Airlines, and Utair. 

US authorized to seize $45M Boeing 737 BBJ owned by Russian oil giant

• Civil Aviation

byGabriele Petrauskaite

September 1, 2022

As per the US export control law, Russian airlines identified in the list are also restricted from receiving refueling, aircraft spare parts, maintenance, or repair services from foreign companies.  

Under the regulations, entities aiming to assist aircraft added to the list are required to receive authorization from the US authorities before providing any services. However, the department has warned that if any action is taken without the required authorization, such actions would be seen by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) as a law violation which could lead to jail fines, loss of export privileges, or other restrictions. 

US lists 7 Belavia Boeing 737s violating export control laws

• Airlines

byGabriele Petrauskaite

April 15, 2022