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Russia’s “Homegrown” Jet Uses Parts From Crimean Factory Sanctioned by US but Not EU

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Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk
Cyril Barabaltchouk
News Writer
Russia’s “Homegrown” Jet Uses Parts From Crimean Factory Sanctioned by US but Not EU
An aircraft of the airline Rossiya, part of the Aeroflot group of companies, SSJ 100-95B, known as Sukhoi Superjet 100 lands at Pulkovo International Airport. (Source: Getty Images)

A new investigation by the Trap Aggressor project at Ukraine’s StateWatch think tank has revealed that Russia’s Sukhoi SJ-100 aircraft is being built with components supplied from the occupied Crimean “Fiolent” factory—a company under US sanctions since 2014, as was reported on October 24.

According to the report, the Fiolent plant provides key parts such as rotary transformers, generators, and precision electric motors for the SJ-100, as well as for Tu-214 and MC-21 aircraft. These components reportedly replace equipment once supplied by Japan’s Tamagawa.

The findings show the failure of Russia’s so-called “import substitution” program in aviation. After Western suppliers cut ties following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia continued producing the SJ-100 without internationally certified components, Trap Aggressor writes.

Experts warn that the lack of certification poses serious safety risks, with reports of navigation and engine malfunctions during tests.

Despite US sanctions since 2014, Fiolent and its director Aleksandr Batalin have faced no penalties from the EU, UK, or the rest of Western countries. StateWatch analysts argue this gap has allowed the Crimean factory to thrive and support Russia’s military-industrial complex.

The report concludes that Russia’s aviation sector, cut off from global supply chains, is now “importing itself”—relying on illegally occupied territories to sustain production of aircraft it claims are domestically built.

Previously, it was reported that Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has published new data identifying 145 companies belonging to or managed by Technodinamika, a key defense holding within Russia’s state-owned conglomerate Rostec.

According to a statement released on Facebook, 86 of these companies have not yet been placed under international sanctions.

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