Spare parts used to repair Russian military airplanes and helicopters appear to have been imported from a number of Ukrainian factories, according to an investigation published by the independent Russian news outlet Important Stories on Nov. 27.
Customs data reportedly shows that Avia FED Service, a Moscow-based spare parts dealer, supplied the Russian aircraft sector with $7.3 million worth of spare parts between January 2022 and July 2023.
Important Stories assessed that over half of the total value of these parts, or $4.2 million, came from Ukraine.
This number reportedly includes $1.4 million worth of spare parts for repairing Antonov An-124 transport planes, imported from Kharkiv's "FED" Machine-Building Plant.
Important Stories noted that Russia used to account for around 70% of the company's sales, but the plant "officially stopped all deliveries to Russia" in 2014, following the Russian occupation of Crimea and Donbas.
The investigation showed that other factories that have supplied parts include the Motor Sich aircraft engine manufacturer in Zaporizhzhia.
In October 2022, Motor Sich President Viacheslav Bohuslaiev was arrested for treason and collaborating with Russia, as was Oleh Dzyuba, Motor Sich's former chief of foreign economic activity.
The Kharkiv Aggregate Design Bureau, the "Radar" and "Artem" factories in Kyiv, and companies in France, the U.S., and the U.K. also appear to have delivered spare parts, Important Stories said.
According to Russian state procurement data, the Russian Defense Ministry and state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec are among Avia FED Service's clients. The company was sanctioned by Ukraine in 2021.
Avia FED Service therefore used an intermediary company registered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to import supplies from abroad between 2022 and 2023, Important Stories reported.
Both the manager and owner of the UAE-based intermediary company appear to be Ukrainians, the investigation suggests. The owner denied that his company has ever supplied goods to Russia.
Customs data shows that the last time a delivery was sent from the intermediary company in the UAE was January 2023.
The director of Avia FED Service told Important Stories that Ukrainian-made parts were purchased by his company before February 2022 and had simply been stored abroad.
In early 2023, a new intermediary supplier in Kyrgyzstan started sending the deliveries, Important Stories reported.
The Kyiv Independent has not independently confirmed the investigation’s findings.
Daniil Ukhorskiy
