“We Can Help and Deliver”: Who Imports Sanctioned Aircraft into Russia
At least 28 aircraft were imported into Russia in 2024, ranging from small private planes to passenger airliners

After the russian full-scale invasion into Ukraine, the European Union and the United States imposed sanctions banning the supply of foreign-made aircraft and their parts to Russia, as well as prohibiting maintenance and repairs of Russian aircraft abroad. Dozens of planes were seized in other countries. To keep remaining aircraft operational, Russia has resorted to «cannibalization» — stripping parts from other planes — or importing necessary components through sanction-busting channels.
A Verstka investigation, based on classified customs data, reveals that foreign-made aircraft are still being smuggled into Russia through third-party countries. At least 28 planes were imported in 2024 alone. These include small private aircraft used for training flights, pilot education, and forest patrols, as well as large passenger airliners that perform regular domestic flights.
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The First Arrest Over Aircraft Smuggling
Western nations have yet to fully stem the flow of illicit aircraft imports into Russia. In early December of this year, U.S. authorities detained the first Russian citizen suspected of smuggling aircraft in violation of sanctions. The suspect, Sergey Nechayev, has been accused of attempting to illegally transport two Cessna light aircraft to Russia via Armenia. According to the indictment, Nechayev falsely declared that the recipient and final destination of the planes were in Armenia. No additional details about Nechayev or his case have been disclosed so far.
Cessna aircraft are typically used for pilot training or by private aviation enthusiasts, an aviation expert, who spoke with Verstka on condition of anonymity, explained. “These planes are mostly used for educational purposes, to teach people how to fly. They’re also popular in small aviation clubs for recreational flights or short tours. Additionally, Cessnas are used by aerial forest protection services to monitor wildfires,” said a pilot interviewed by Verstka.
Sanctions banning the import of foreign-made aircraft and spare parts into Russia were imposed immediately after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On February 26, 2022, the European Union published a regulation prohibiting the sale, supply, transfer, or export of goods and technologies intended for aviation or the space industry to any organization connected with Russia.
Verstka has identified at least 18 Cessna aircraft that entered Russia since the winter of 2022. These planes were imported through various countries, including Turkey (6 times), Lithuania (3), Latvia, Estonia, Germany, Georgia, and Oman. On two occasions, the planes were delivered by Bond Aero, a company registered in Kazakhstan. Sergey Nechayev’s name does not appear in any customs declarations linked to these aircraft.
Armenia, which Nechayev claimed as the intended destination for his planes, has previously been implicated in Cessna imports. In May 2023, one of the planes was registered to Sergey Alexandrovich Berezovsky. The customs declaration listed no identifying details beyond an address at a residential building in Yerevan. In 2010, a man with the same name and surname worked as the shift supervisor for Russian border guards at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport and made headlines after a physical altercation with the head of Armenia’s border guard service.
Berezovsky is not the only individual to have received Cessna planes. In 2022, after sanctions had been introduced, two such aircraft were registered to Danil and Leonid Sokolov (a father and son). Danil Sokolov is the beneficiary of Yastreb, an aviation company that performs aerial work for agriculture, construction, environmental protection, medical assistance, and other purposes. According to SPARK-Interfax data, the company services an airbase in the Amur region, the Forest Management Department in the Jewish Autonomous Region, and Saint Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation.
In 2024, another Cessna was registered to Andrey Kuznetsov, a former co-owner of Vostok, an aviation company providing aerial forest protection services in regions such as Buryatia, Magadan, Moscow Region, Tatarstan, and Tomsk Region, according to SPARK-Interfax. On his social media, Kuznetsov frequently posts photos from various airports.
A Beneficiary with Liberal Views
Most Cessna planes imported into Russia were received by a company called «Modern Technologies.» Its founder is 52-year-old businessman Yevgeny Kabanov, who is also the founder of the Turkish company Edermont LTD and Kyrgyz-based «Edermont Pamir» (established in December 2022). These companies are listed as senders of Cessna aircraft in customs declarations. Lithuanian journalists previously reported on one of these shipments.

Kabanov’s companies also facilitated the import of a rare World War II-era German Junkers bomber worth $1.06 million. A few months later, a plane of this model was added to the collection of a military technology museum in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, in Russia’s Ural region.
In 2024, Kabanov’s companies imported nine aircraft into Russia. In addition to the aforementioned Cessna planes and the Junkers bomber, they transported two Aero Commander 680V planes for civil aviation and an American Piper PA-28RT-201T aircraft.
Kabanov is a Russian pilot and a board member of the Russian Association of Pilots and Aircraft Owners. Novaya Gazeta.Europe previously reported that a company linked to Kabanov advertised bypassing sanctions for aircraft imports on its Telegram channel. Kabanov is also the sole shareholder of the Italian company MAK Aviation Services, which participates in aircraft sales deals.
The website of the Moscow Aviation Institute, which Kabanov graduated from in 1995, mentions that he «has made a significant contribution to the development of aviation tourism in Russia and abroad.» The site also notes Kabanov’s achievements as a global traveler, organizer of North Pole expeditions, and initiator of helicopter circumnavigation flights.
Verstka discovered dozens of Telegram messages from Kabanov in the SAON chat, described as a «community of aviation enthusiasts.» In these messages, he advertised his services and offered assistance with transporting aircraft to Russia. In November 2022, he posted an ad for the sale of a Cessna C404 plane, promising to handle the transaction and delivery.
In the same chat, there was an advertisement for a helicopter Robinson R‑44 from 2017, listed for €550,000, including delivery to Minsk and customs fees. Another user pointed out that the real price should be closer to “€375,000 + 10% customs, €10 – 20 for delivery (probably, we are talking about thousands of euros – Verstka), and 6% broker commission, totaling €450,000.”
In an August 2024 message, Kabanov outlined a scheme for delivering foreign aircraft while bypassing sanctions. According to him, planes can be transported either «on their own wings» or by land or sea.
For the first option, the plane can be flown independently by the owner or with the assistance of a ferry pilot. In this case, the plane is flown to its ‘base location,’ where it undergoes Russian registration and is issued a certificate of airworthiness. Once these formalities are completed, the aircraft is ready for use.
The second option involves disassembling the plane, loading it into a container, and shipping it to an «intermediate destination.» After customs clearance, the plane is transported to its «final destination,» where it undergoes another round of customs checks. At the base location, the aircraft is reassembled, flight-tested, and issued the necessary documentation.
Kabanov promised interested clients «precise estimates, accurate to within a couple of thousand dollars.» Some members of the chat recommended contacting Kabanov for exporting planes from the U.S., while others criticized his companies for their high service costs.

Verstka also discovered Kabanov’s personal Twitter account, where, in 2011, he supported the Bolotnaya Square protests, reposted content from Alexei Navalny, and shared news from opposition media and blogs. He also criticized the state of Russian aviation.
When reached for comment, Kabanov did not respond to Verstka’s inquiry.
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What Other Aircraft Were Imported Into Russia Over the Past Year
According to confidential customs data obtained by Verstka, at least 28 foreign-made aircraft were imported into Russia in 2024, bypassing international sanctions.
Most of these aircraft, banned for sale to Russia, were brought in through Turkey (11 times), Oman (3), the United Arab Emirates (2), and Germany (2). Other countries listed as points of departure included Serbia, Sweden, Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia. In some cases, the senders were concealed in customs declarations, with only the codes of trading countries provided — such as Ireland and Cyprus. Of the imported aircraft, 14 were American-made, 7 were Canadian, and 6 were French.
Among them were passenger planes like Bombardier jets purchased by the airlines Meridian and Skylight, an Airbus A319-111 acquired by Aurora Airlines, and an ATR 42 – 500 bought by KrasAvia, a state-owned company fully controlled by the Krasnoyarsk Region.

One Bombardier jet, purchased by Meridian, was imported through the UAE in January 2024. The price of such a plane can range from $24.5 million to $32.8 million. According to Flight Radar data, this aircraft operates flights between Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Saint Petersburg, and other major Russian cities. It has also been spotted flying to Tehran, Baku, Astana, and the Kuril Islands, while details of other flights remain concealed.
Another Bombardier, worth approximately €16 million, was purchased by Skylight in March 2024. The country of departure and sender were concealed in the customs declaration, with Bishkek listed as the delivery point. According to Flight Radar, the plane operates flights to China, Turkey, the Maldives, Dubai, and Makhachkala. Several flights remain undisclosed.
A French Airbus A319-111, acquired by Aurora Airlines, operates flights across Russia’s Far East. It was imported in April 2024, with the sender undisclosed and Kaunas, Lithuania, listed as the delivery point. The aircraft’s estimated value is around $35 million.
Another French-made plane, the ATR 42 – 500 purchased by KrasAvia, was imported through Mongolia in May 2024. Between January 2023 and November 2024, the aircraft completed dozens of flights, although all departure and destination points are concealed. In late 2024, the plane operated routes between Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, and the northern city of Strezhevoy in the Tomsk Region, where the major local enterprise is Tomskneft.
One more Bombardier, worth approximately $45.5 million, was imported under the name of Denis Krasnopolsky, the CEO of Inpromaktiv, a company involved in the production of aircraft.
Yakutian airline Alrosa purchased a Boeing 737 – 800 that, according to Flight Radar data, operates regular routes between Yakutia, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Blagoveshchensk, and Novosibirsk.

In March 2024, a Bombardier BD-700 – 1A10 was imported via Oman by the Delo Group, a transport and logistics holding owned by businessman and former State Duma deputy Sergey Shishkarev. This jet, designed for 15 passengers, primarily flies between Moscow, China, Dubai, and southern Russia (Sochi, Stavropol), but has also been tracked traveling to destinations like the Seychelles, Tanzania, South Africa, and the Maldives. In a 2024 interview with Kommersant, Shishkarev noted that he “develops businesses exposed to the risks of sanctions.”
In April 2024, a Hawker 800 XP passenger plane with an eight-seat capacity was imported through Turkey. The aircraft was purchased by Arctic Shipping, a company involved in maritime freight transport. According to Flight Radar, the plane is owned by a private individual. Most of its flights are concealed, though it has occasionally flown to Kazakhstan, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Similarly, the majority of flights operated by the ATR 42 – 500 imported for KrasAvia remain undisclosed.
Two additional aircraft were purchased by the airline Severo-Zapad: an Airbus A320-251N and a Bombardier BD-700 – 1A10, both imported via Oman.
Among the aircraft identified by Verstka, some were imported under private names. For example, in March 2024, a Piper PA32R-300 LANCE, manufactured in 1976, was registered to Valentin Stulpin from Magnitogorsk in the Chelyabinsk Region. The sender was listed as AIR NUMBUS LTD, with an address in Tanzania, but the country of origin was Sweden.
Verstka discovered Stulpin’s social media accounts, which suggest he is a pilot with his own company offering flights over Magnitogorsk and its surroundings. The company is not officially registered and operates only through a VKontakte group called ‘The Sky for You.’ One video in the group shows a man proposing to a woman in front of a plane that visually matches the Piper registered under Stulpin’s name in 2024.
The plane in the video features a Russian flag and a registration number that does not appear on Flight Radar, suggesting it may have been repainted. Officially, Stulpin is listed as the beneficiary of Ural Automat, a retail company based in Magnitogorsk.
Text: Julia Balakhonova
Cover artwork: Dmitry Osinnikov
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