With a global aviation meeting taking place in Montreal this week, Russia is using the opportunity to make a plea to ease sanctions on the country’s aviation sector…
In this post:
Russia wants “unlawful coercive measures” reversed
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is the United Nations’ civil aviation agency, and it’s meeting this week in Montreal. This meeting typically takes place once every three years, and is used to discuss issues impacting the entire industry.
For example, I’ve already covered how there will be discussions about the global pilot retirement age being raised to 67. However, here’s a plea that may be even more controversial, as reported by Reuters. Russia is urging the ICAO to ease sanctions on spare parts and overflights, describing the global response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “unlawful coercive measures.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, western sanctions have cut off the country’s access to foreign made aircraft and spare parts, creating new challenges for keeping the country’s hundreds of Airbus and Boeing jets flying.
So Russian authorities are trying to negotiate relief from these sanctions, particularly related to spare parts, arguing that these are critical for the country’s aviation sector to be safe. As Russia describes this, “the ICAO is required to take all practical measures to prevent states from applying politically biased discriminatory and coercive measures in the field of international civil aviation.” This request comes shortly after the United States has lifted sanctions on Belarusian flag carrier Belavia.
Russia is arguing that these sanctions run counter to global rules. Russia is even trying to gain election to the ICAO’s 36-state governing council, after not winning enough votes for that position in 2022.
Russia is the world’s biggest country, so as you’d expect, the aviation sector is crucially important. The country’s aviation industry has really struggled with keeping planes flying, and that’s why we’ve seen a variety of safety issues, and we’ve also seen so many planes grounded.
Something’s gotta give with sanctions, eventually
I have to be honest, I’m always torn on the merit of these types of sanctions. Personally, I believe that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was 100% unlawful and unethical, and I’m disgusted by the senseless loss of life that we’re seeing. It’s unfathomable to think just how many people have lost their lives to this war in recent years, and all this time, no progress has been made.
At the same time, Putin clearly doesn’t care about the loss of life, and years of sanctions have accomplished very little. The reality is that Russia’s aviation industry isn’t going anywhere, and the planes will keep flying, whether they have functioning parts or not.
So are we just waiting for an Airbus or Boeing plane to crash in Russia? Is that something we’re supposed to celebrate, when it inevitably happens? Personally, I value human life regardless of what nationality it is, and I also think it’s important to separate people from their governments.
I don’t have all the answers here, and I don’t know what the right approach is. I just struggle with the concept. On the one hand, you don’t want to give in to a thug like Putin, and there’s rich irony to the country being concerned about “unlawful measures,” all of a sudden. On the other hand, actions have consequences, and these sanctions will lead to aviation fatalities sooner or later, and I’m not a fan of that.
Bottom line
Russia is once again asking global regulators to lift sanctions against the country’s aviation industry, calling them “unlawful coercive measures.” Of course it’s quite amusing to hear Russia concerned about laws and norms, given the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Yes, there’s no denying that there are serious safety concerns posed by the sanctions facing the country’s aviation sector. At the same time, the easy solution is for Putin to stop his aggression against Ukraine, rather than accusing international regulators of unlawful actions.
I can’t imagine that much will come of this, but it should be quite an interesting ICAO meeting, especially with Russia trying to regain a seat on the ICAO’s 36-state governing council.
What do you make of Russia requesting aviation sanctions be eased?
What an utterly appalling and short-sighted take. There is nothing to be torn about here, no nuance required, and no virtue to be had in this take - responsibility sits with one individual alone. I think some serious self-reflection is required here.
Ben, you do this a lot. You straddle the fence. Both-sider-ism. It's almost like your method of making a living makes you incapable of seeing the world for what it is. You can't call out Trump ever, afraid your MAGA readers will leave you. Sanctions are done so the country feels the pain. Whether it's the people "in charge" or the "everyday people" is irrelevant. Russia is trying to go around the sanctions by asking...
Ben, you do this a lot. You straddle the fence. Both-sider-ism. It's almost like your method of making a living makes you incapable of seeing the world for what it is. You can't call out Trump ever, afraid your MAGA readers will leave you. Sanctions are done so the country feels the pain. Whether it's the people "in charge" or the "everyday people" is irrelevant. Russia is trying to go around the sanctions by asking for parts. What good do sanctions do if Russia does not feel the pain?
You idiots have no idea talking about the conflict the way you do!
I guess the US, NATO UK Zelensky the clown have morning to do with it either! Get off your high horses , do some proper research & Understand the cause.
Bye the way Russian pilots are excellent airmen!
Ähm, no?! Crazy take. This is not how it works. How about we give humanitarian aid to North Korea as well. But don't worry, the West being the West, they will give concessions to Russia soon enough. For absolutely nothing in return.
We do give humanitarian aid to North Korea, as we should. Go read about it directly from the European Commission's website if you care to educate yourself.
It is sad but not surprising to see ordinary Russians dehumanized like this. Incredible hypocrisy. I wonder how these same people would react if American citizens were collectively punished for the actions of their government over the years.
Sanctions do work - that's why Russia is so desperate to have them lifted.
There's nothing to be torn about. Their decision to steal dozens of European aircraft and fly them without proper maintenance is on Russia, not us.
but by your logic most sanctions should be lifted, as most sanctioned sectors could be deemed vital to the safety and wellbeing of people. It’s important to uphold all sanctions and to let Russians feel the consequences for their actions.
To add, why did the US lift sanctions against Belavia ? The Belarus government is a puppet of the Russian government. They support the invasion of Ukraine and arm it. They also allow people from third countries to enter illegally with the aim of helping the cross the border into Poland.
If Russian aircraft is not safe enough to be flown, then they simply shouldn't fly it. Whether it's for lack of spare parts or something else is not the West's problem. Any resulting deaths will be on them for their carelessness. The whole point of sanctions is that they're not convenient. If anything sanctions should be tougher!
The only government that can end the sanctions/ export embargo is Russia, if they withdraw and end their invasion of Ukraine.
Apparently Cankles Mctaco face was going up stop the war in 24 hours, along with the other 6 or 7 he already stopped. Hes too busy calling racist,homophobic, misogynist people martyrs.
Absolute garbage take, Ben.
No, we’re not supposed to “celebrate” when there’s an inevitable aviation tragedy in Russia. But I will know that the fault lies entirely with Putin, who could have easily stopped civil aviation if it couldn’t fly reliably, or, better yet, stopped his war in Ukraine.
You are playing right into his hands here in supporting his efforts to keep the Russian aviation sector going. I hope the responses here bring about...
Absolute garbage take, Ben.
No, we’re not supposed to “celebrate” when there’s an inevitable aviation tragedy in Russia. But I will know that the fault lies entirely with Putin, who could have easily stopped civil aviation if it couldn’t fly reliably, or, better yet, stopped his war in Ukraine.
You are playing right into his hands here in supporting his efforts to keep the Russian aviation sector going. I hope the responses here bring about some real soul searching on your part
Their safety is nothing we should worry about and they can all crash.
They stole the planes…. and you want to provide parts? Russia is not the victim. Everyday they target and kill civilians. By your logic, we should reconsider any sanctions that directly or indirectly cause death (medicine, technology, etc). This is their war with the west. They can end it by leaving Ukraine. You are off the mark here.
The solution is rather easy, Stop the war and then a lift of the ban may be considered (maybe for a contribution towards rebuilding Ukraine).
What's the ban conditions on the other country invading a sovereign neighbor, the one full of Russians and Unkrainians funny enough.
I have the answer: agree to ceasefire with pre-exisiting land borders restored and the sanctions will be removed.
Obviously, Russia could stop all these sanctions tomorrow if it withdrew from Ukraine so the ball is in their court. Having said that, you could argue that if other countries really wanted to punish Russia hard, they would have gone for its energy instead. Why choose aviation instead of energy (I know why aviation - dual use and so on - but why this rather than that is my question)? Is energy too big to fail?
The ball is entirely in Russia's court here. The west did not force them to invade Ukraine, nor is the west obligated to sell them airplane parts. If Putin wants the domestic Russian aviation industry to keep running, he can end the war in Ukraine. If he refuses, any deaths that result are entirely on his hands. He made choices, and those choices carried consequences.
If your plane is unsafe to fly do not let it fly. If you staet a war live with the consequences.
**** em. Let them crash until they unconditionally surrender and withdraw from Ukraine. And yes, I’d celebrate that happening. The west is at WAR with these animals; you don’t worry about the lives of the enemy. Any death resulting from crashes of Boeing or Airbus is SOLELY on Russia… not the countries sanctioning Russia.
The nerve of the Russians….human life means nothing to them. They don’t give a damn about safety.
I find it disgusting...
**** em. Let them crash until they unconditionally surrender and withdraw from Ukraine. And yes, I’d celebrate that happening. The west is at WAR with these animals; you don’t worry about the lives of the enemy. Any death resulting from crashes of Boeing or Airbus is SOLELY on Russia… not the countries sanctioning Russia.
The nerve of the Russians….human life means nothing to them. They don’t give a damn about safety.
I find it disgusting that you even imply that any crash could be blamed on sanctions. Russia chose to invade Ukraine, like Hitler chose to start WW2.
It’s not our responsibility to worry about the safety of Russian civilians.
Putin wants sanctions eased? Surrender. Period
“Human life means nothing to those animals” He says, after sharing to the entire world how he would celebrate a plane full of civilian men, women, and children crashing because he doesn’t like the country they were born in.
Each country made its own decisions on overflying Russia, USA controls the replacement parts for airplanes.
Canada as an example could allow overflight by Russian planes and obviously Russia would allow us to overfly.
Disagree with what Russia has done in Ukraine.
However it pales in comparison to the genocide that Israel is committing in Gaza and what Zionists have done to Palestinians for nearly 80 years.
Ever heard of Holodomor?
@BZ - Why are you guys always so keen to demonstrate your utter lack of knowledge on this topic (in this case even on two topics) by always stating something so blatantly absurd that the only option other than you having absolutely no knowledge of history and/or current conflicts is that you're simply trolling.
@Samo
How much knowledge about that conflict do you gave?
@BZ is right. Israel has been committing crimes on the people of Palestine for 80 years. Currently a televised genocide is going on in Gaza committed by the war criminal Netanyahu who is worse than Putin. The US and EU have been funding that genocide since day one.
We call it "sanctions" because it sounds nice. But in reality it's just an export ban, which damages our commercial bottom line.
I thought there was supposed to be peace between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours. (And, Gaza for that matter.)
Trump was dreaming before he took office. He thought he would be able to control everyone. But no one cares about what he says. He is a crazy guy who obeys Netanyahu like his father.
There is a dual use risk involved, i.e. that spare parts for civilian aircraft may be used by the Russian military in its war of aggression. Hence, the sanctions have to stay in place at least for the duration of the aggression.
Bad take, Ben. Russia can lift sanctions on their own simply by ending their invasion of their sovereign neighbor. As CapitalMike notes, if they continue to fly unsafe planes, that's on them. Like Ukraine, they can just use trains if they wish to move people and goods.
100% on this. Well said. Ben, this is 100% solvable by Russia so stop the pity party.
The sanctions in this field will not inevitably cost human lives. They should cause planes to stay on the ground for lack of maintenance or lack of spare parts. If Russia continues to fly their aircraft violating manufacturer‘s maintenance instructions, this cannot be anybody’s responsibility but their own.
This from the people whose meddlesome antics and clumsy weaponry shot down MH370 in 2014, and whose unprovoked invasion of a sovereign neighbor has destroyed entire cities and killed thousands of innocent civilians.
Civil aviation is a commercial privilege, not a human right. Russia could either end its war, build its own planes, or go back to the choo-choo train.
Let them go back to the "Flying Crate" days of the communist times, when...
This from the people whose meddlesome antics and clumsy weaponry shot down MH370 in 2014, and whose unprovoked invasion of a sovereign neighbor has destroyed entire cities and killed thousands of innocent civilians.
Civil aviation is a commercial privilege, not a human right. Russia could either end its war, build its own planes, or go back to the choo-choo train.
Let them go back to the "Flying Crate" days of the communist times, when Aeroflot crashed like a Zimbabwean stock market.
"This from the people whose meddlesome antics and clumsy weaponry shot down MH370 in 2014"
I think you're thinking of MH17
Yes, MH17, but I think the point is particularly relevant here.
Putin has not even admitted to that.
As many others said, it is easy for Putin to end sanctions - just withdraw back to 2014 borders.
If the plane crashes, it's Russia's fault. Plain and simple. They're fully aware of what they're doing and have the means to stop the sanctions right now. They're just choosing not to and throwing a fit when they suffer the consequences of their actions.
The current sanctions are half-arsed (Russia still exports millions of barrels of oil and other minerals & timber products to China and India), so Putin should STFU about it.
If the USA didn't TACO every month & wanted to ramp up sanctions on Russia, they could and then their soldiers would run home from Ukraine in 30 days. Putin would have an accidental fall from a window on Day 25.
Go to hell, Russia! Go to hell, Putin!
You made your bed, now lie in it.
Putin would like to have his cake and eat it too. The chessmaster cannot play the sympathy card.
Look "Rootin' Tootin' Putin: You stop your illegal invasion of the Ukraine, repay them for their monetary losses (you can't repay the lives you killed) and MAYBE the sanctions will be EASED...not removed. Aeroflop (sic) can just suffer. Even then, hopefully SkyTeam will not invite them back into the fold.
Russian can smugle western parts using china or other proxies, just like they do for building rockets, drones and other weapons.
Which they already do. I believe they bought $500m in Airbus and Boeing spare parts through grey market in CIS countries, Turkey, India, UAE and China
Last year*
And i believe they did a total of $1.2 billion since war begun
It’s easy to see the side where these sanctions could (will) lead to the death of innocent Russians if a plane crashes. But you didn’t write about the flip side which is how many innocent Ukrainians will die if the sanctions are lifted and these spare parts are used for planes supporting war efforts?
It’s not ideal, but you have to assume spare parts will go to support the war first and may not prevent a plane from crashing with innocent people onboard.
It is easy to end the sanctions. Withdraw and honor the commitments Russia made when Ukraine agreed to give up their nuclear weapons. All within Russia's control. If their stolen airplanes fall out of the sky, that is on them, hopefully one falls on the Kremlin.
Russia's aviation sector is collapsing due to a lack of parts and an inability to access western markets.
Western airlines are not going to overfly war zones or places where there is a risk to its citizens in the event of an emergency landing.
Russia desperately wants to normalize the world while attempting to take over Ukraine.
The war has to end and then aviation can return to normal
And how do sanctions impacting the safety of civilians help end the war or change the leadership you dislike? Civilian aviation sanctions have not worked in Iran and definitely will not work in Russia. In 10-20 years this will be a non-issue anyway as the Chinese begin building aircraft with fully Chinese components. Sanctions as a means of coercion are on their way out.
What is unlawful and coercive is Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The country's leadership has been a cancer on the world since 1917.
Zelenskyy was democratically elected 100% Russians caused unlawful death of innocent women, children, war crime mutilations of soldiers, torture of innocent men and women in hundreds of documented FSB systematic co-ordinated chambers across Ukraine!!