on 2 September , President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the National Security and Defence Council’ s decision to impose sanctions on 175 companies and individuals for 10 years. 73 of them are logistics and airline companies transporting weapons, military equipment, sanctioned goods, and components for the Russian military-industrial complex from Iran and the DPRK to Russia, Komersant ukrainskyi
reports.
The list includes Aerostan Airlines LLC, which is the largest cargo operator in Kyrgyzstan by number of aircraft. According to the NGO Economic Security Council of Ukraine, the company’s planes regularly transported goods that could be used for Russia’s military needs: electronic components, aircraft and automotive parts, production equipment, cameras, remote control equipment for UAVs, etc.
During the full-scale war, Aerostan Airlines operated dozens of flights from Sharjah, UAE to Moscow with a transit stop in Kyrgyzstan’s Manas. Between June and September 2023, the airline transported a total of over 400 tonnes of cargo to Russia. The company cooperated with importers who systematically help Russia circumvent international sanctions.
In addition to civilian electronics and household appliances, Aerostan Airlines transported aviation equipment for the Russian company Fastair International, whose clients include aircraft maintenance companies, as well as the Russian airline Pobeda, which is under US and Ukrainian sanctions.
In mid-September last year, Aerostan Airlines transported machine tools made in the EU and Asia to Russia. The end customer of these deliveries was Grover International LLC, which had previously supplied Indian equipment to the ISKRA plant, which is part of the Russian military-industrial complex.
“Aerostan Airlines is an example of Russian-friendly companies that, on the one hand, are actively involved in supporting the Russian economy and military potential, and on the other hand, have not yet been subject to any sanctions restrictions. Aerostan Airlines cannot be called a fictitious company, it is a big business with international operations. The Ukrainian sanctions and their coordination with Western partners may significantly complicate such activities. This should be a signal to other transport and logistics companies that have not yet stopped cooperating with the aggressor state,” comments Denys Gutyk, Senior Advisor at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine.
In November 2023, Aerostan Airlines delivered magnesium perchlorate, which is used in the production of explosives, to Sheremetyevo Airport, manufactured by American Alpha Resources. The same flight delivered to Russia connecting devices with a total weight of 2,375 kg for the ITELMA group, which supplied electronics to Russian defence companies such as KAMAZ and GLONASS.