April 10, 2023

A Sanctioned Flight


A Sanctioned Flight
Cessna 172 Skyhawk in Augsburg Airport. Curimedia | P H O T O G R A P H Y, Wikimedia Commons

Journalists from LRT, the largest media group in Lithuania, discovered a scheme in which a Russian entrepreneur bought planes in the EU, bypassing sanctions by acting through companies in Turkey and Italy.

The investigation began when a Cessna 172 plane registered in Denmark landed at the Palanga Airport in Lithuania for refueling. The ultimate destination of the route was Pskov, and the pilot on the plane was a Russian citizen with a Lithuanian residence permit. When the plane was stopped by Lithuanian authorities for a check, the pilot fled.

According to LRT, the plane was bought in Denmark by Turkish company Edermont Ltd, and the intermediary was the Italian company MAK Aviation Services. Both companies are headed by Russian citizen Evgeny Kabanov. In Russia, he is known as the owner of the company Sovremenniye Techonologii, which organizes flights, maintenance, and refueling in Russia and other countries and also provides services for the import of aircraft and spare parts for aircraft to Russia, bypassing sanctions. 

"When almost all borders are closed, and sanctions impede selling aircraft, but you need to buy a plane or helicopter, we have a solution. We will help you with any international transactions. If necessary, we will contact the seller and agree on the price and terms," reads the company’s Telegram channel

According to LRT, Lithuanian and Danish authorities have started an investigation.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the EU has banned planes owned or ordered by Russians from landing in or departing from Europe. The import of aircraft and spare parts for aircraft are also banned. What's more, the biggest international aircraft manufacturers have stopped activities in Russia.

This is not the first time that journalists have revealed schemes to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia. Earlier, The Insider reported about a company owned by a friend of Putin’s daughter, which was importing expensive wines under the guise of "samples for certification." And Vazhnie Istorii revealed a scheme in which Western companies were supplying Russia with components for drones.

You Might Also Like

The Moscow-City Laundromat
  • March 23, 2023

The Moscow-City Laundromat

Crypto exchanges in the main commercial district of Moscow transfer money to the UK anonymously.
A Year of Decline
  • December 31, 2022

A Year of Decline

Russia’s War on Ukraine is exacting deep and enduring economic and social costs on the country.
Lust for Almost-Wandering
  • November 03, 2022

Lust for Almost-Wandering

An airport in Anapa is selling a flight experience that promises everything but the travel.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955