An investigation by the exiled news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe has revealed a significant increase in aviation incidents in Russia during the fourth year of Western sanctions, which have restricted access to spare parts for foreign-made aircraft.
From January to late November 2025, Russian airlines reported over 800 equipment failures that resulted in flight cancellations or emergency landings. This figure, calculated from data provided by the Aviaincident monitoring channel, marks approximately a fourfold increase compared to the same timeframe in 2024, where slightly more than 200 incidents were recorded.
The Western sanctions enacted after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prohibited Russian airlines from using EU and U.S. airspace and hindered their ability to procure spare parts for Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
In October, Russia’s aviation chief, Dmitry Yadrov, warned that the country could face the loss of 339 aircraft within the next five years under a worst-case scenario, which includes 109 foreign-made planes. He also noted that around 200 helicopters, primarily produced domestically, were likely to be retired from service.
As reported by the civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia, Russian commercial airlines currently operate a fleet of 1,135 aircraft, with 1,088 classified as airworthy.
The industry has also experienced two accidents and two fatal crashes this year, resulting in the deaths of 53 people, according to information from the federal transport watchdog released in October.
The most catastrophic event occurred in late July when an Angara Airlines An-24, en route from Khabarovsk in the Far East to Tynda, crashed just 15 kilometers short of its destination, claiming the lives of all 48 passengers and crew on board. Investigators suspect that crew error was the primary factor in the tragedy. The aircraft, manufactured in 1976, was nearly 50 years old and approaching the end of its operational life.
In response to what it has described as a “negative trend” in aviation safety violations, the government has instructed the transportation regulatory body, Rostransnadzor, to begin inspections of 51 regional airlines starting December 1.
