After the start of the Ukraine war, America and European countries had imposed many stringent sanctions on Russia and its influential people. The purpose of these sanctions was to put pressure on businessmen and officials close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But new reports have revealed that many close to Putin are still buying expensive private jets made in Western countries and traveling around the world in them.
According to the report of Wall Street Journal, a white colored Bombardier Global 7500 jet is standing at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, which is worth about 75 million dollars. This aircraft is used by Sergei Chemezov, the head of Russian defense company Rostec and a close associate of Putin. According to flight records, he traveled to UAE, Turkey and South-East Asia several times in this jet from October 2025 to January this year.
How does the game of selling aircraft work?
According to the report, these planes are not sent directly to Russia. First they are purchased from western companies or second hand market. After this, they are registered in countries like UAE, Oman, Kazakhstan and South Africa, where Western sanctions are not applicable on Russia. Then these planes come into use by people associated with Russia.
The report quoted former US officer John E. Smith as saying that in the second term of President Donald Trump, there was not as much emphasis on implementing sanctions on Russia as before. He says that at present America’s focus is more on issues like drug smuggling and Iran. For this reason, Russia has been successful in gaining access to some Western goods and technology.
Who were seen travelling?
The report states that despite the sanctions, many Russian billionaires and influential people are still using business jets from Western companies like Bombardier and Gulfstream. Apart from Chemezov, these also include Putin’s old friend Arkady Rotenberg and businessman Igor Kesayev. Rotenberg used to train with Putin in a judo club as a child. He has been under international sanctions since Russia’s occupation of Crimea in 2014. Despite this, he is using two Bombardier jets and often travels to countries like UAE and Azerbaijan.
Igor Kesayev made a huge fortune from the tobacco and alcohol business in the 1990s. Later he also invested in retail trade and defense industry. According to Forbes, his wealth is around $4.8 billion. He is also under US and EU sanctions, but he purchased a Bombardier Global Express XRS jet in 2023.
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