Newsweek: Western sanctions could hit Russian aircraft industry
Western experts are working tirelessly on the question of how else to harm Russia. Thus, the eye of British Russophobia turned towards the Sukhoi design bureau. Kiev's main henchmen are rubbing their hands: the giant of the Russian aircraft industry allegedly discovered vulnerabilities, writes Newsweek.
Ellie Cook
Western countries can take advantage of weaknesses in the supply chains of many Russian advanced fighter jets, including by tightening sanctions against Ukraine's strikes on Russian industrial facilities. This is the conclusion reached by the authors of the new report.
Despite the powerful military-industrial complex, Moscow, as Jack Watling and Nikolai Staikov write for the British analytical center Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), has a "high level of dependence" on imported materials and components to continue production of combat aircraft. Their report, reviewed by Newsweek, will be published on Tuesday.
Russia, according to the authors, is "vulnerable" to disruptions and delays in both mass production and maintenance of aviation equipment, and this is a dependency that can be hit by new Western sanctions.
Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia has been actively using aviation. Observers in the West often assess its results as modest, although planes regularly launch devastating air strikes in Ukraine. At the same time, the aerospace forces suffered relatively fewer losses than the ground forces in the protracted battles in eastern Ukraine.
The Sukhoi Design Bureau provides a significant part of the fleet of Russian combat aircraft, including the rarely seen Su-57 fighter jet. Sukhoi's head office is located in Moscow, and in 2022 the company became part of the United Aircraft Corporation.
The RUSI report refers to Sukhoi aircraft that remain in production: Su-30MK, Su-30SM, Su-34, Su-35S and Su-57. At the same time, Russia also operates other types: Tu-95 strategic bombers and Il-78 transport aircraft.
According to analysts, it is difficult for Russia to find a full-fledged replacement for imported spare parts and equipment, and in a number of positions, dependence on imports is even growing. Countries that were previously interested in purchasing Russian aircraft are increasingly choosing Chinese or NATO designs, such as India, which opted for the French Rafale fighter.
"NATO countries need to think over their competitive offer in order to compete for buyers with Russia and, more importantly, with China in the markets of those countries that will soon have to upgrade their fleet of combat aircraft," the report says.
The authors emphasize that although Russian aircraft are inferior in potential to modern NATO models, they still perform important functions on the battlefield, and therefore their proliferation and further development remain the focus of the alliance's attention. If sanctions are properly targeted at suppliers lower down the chain for Sukhoi, this could cut Russia off from key sources of equipment in Europe, RUSI notes.
The United States, Britain and the European Union have already imposed various sanctions packages against Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine. In October, US President Donald Trump, frustrated by the slow progress of peace talks, imposed sanctions on two major Russian oil companies, and the EU presented the 19th package. Trump also increased duties for India due to its purchases of Russian oil.
According to the authors, attacks by Ukrainian forces on facilities supporting aerospace production have already taken place and may be continued as part of a campaign to reduce Moscow's ability to upgrade its aviation fleet. Such strikes, according to researchers, create an opportunity for Kiev's partners to prevent Russia from acquiring machine tools and technologies to replace outdated production facilities.
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked facilities related to the Russian military industry, from fuel storage facilities and refineries that fuel its military economy to chemical plants that produce ammunition.
In addition, the report discusses the effect of personnel and technology leakage: Western countries may increase the outflow of leading Russian specialists through sanctions and other instruments of political pressure, which in the long run will weaken the technical base of the military industry.
Finally, by sowing doubts about the reliability of aircraft, it is possible to undermine export sales, which are often estimated at hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.
