Russia’s passenger carrier Aeroflot plans to dismantle eight Boeing cargo planes to repair other civilian aircraft, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
The agency says Aeroflot will receive the Boeings from Volga-Dnepr Airlines under a contract valued at roughly $130 million. It would be the first known case in Russia of a passenger airline breaking down cargo aircraft for spare parts.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the country operated up to 1,800 foreign-made civilian aircraft. That number has dropped sharply as Western sanctions cut off new planes and replacement parts.
Under those sanctions, Russia’s civil aviation sector is nearing crisis, the Ukrainian intelligence service says, projecting the fleet could shrink by half or more by 2026.
Russian carriers have tried to obtain parts for Western jets through so-called gray schemes, with mixed results. The quality is uncertain and there are no warranties, and at times airlines have cannibalized aircraft that are still in working order.
According to earlier reports, Russia produced just one commercial airplane in 2025, despite planning to build 15.
