Inside Russia's Desperate Fight to Keep Airlines Flying

Russia's aviation collapse, three years after the invasion, shows how sanctions, isolation, and denial reshaped global flight. Hundreds of Western jets were seized after the Ukraine invasion, maintenance collapsed, and the country now flies on borrowed parts and politics. This documentary unpacks how it happened, why no one stopped it, and what it means for global flight. Follow @TheSkyDigest on Instagram and TikTok for more investigations. A note on the map: Crimea was mistakenly shown as part of Russia in some visuals. This was an editing error. The Sky Digest supports Ukraine’s sovereignty unequivocally. Crimea is Ukrainian territory, illegally occupied by Russia. The graphic cannot be changed in this version, but the error is acknowledged and deeply regretted. Reuters – 2022 – “Russia imposes sweeping flight bans.” – https://www.reuters.com/business/aero... Reuters – 2022 – “Sabre, Amadeus pull Russia’s Aeroflot.” – https://www.reuters.com/business/aero... Reuters – 2014 – “Moscow may force European airlines to fly around Russia.” – https://www.reuters.com/article/ukrai... Canadian Bar Association – 2023 – “Unlawful Seizure: Russia’s Re-Registration of Leased Aircraft.” – https://www.cba.org/Sections/Air-and-... The Guardian – 2025 – “Aircraft leasing firms win lawsuit over planes in Russia.” – https://www.theguardian.com/business/... AeroTime – 2022 – “Finnair shares continue to fall as Russian airspace closure bites.” – https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/30... Financial Times – 2024 – “The smuggling trail keeping Russian passenger jets in the air.” – https://www.ft.com/content/f8d61a5d-7... CNN – 2022 – “Anchorage: The little airport on the top of the world.” – https://abc17news.com/entertainment/c... The Moscow Times – 2025 – “Russian Airspace Closure Raises Global CO2 Emissions.” – https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/0... Reuters – 2022 – “Hundreds of Russia plane leases to be axed after sanctions.” – https://www.reuters.com/business/aero... Insurance Journal – 2024 – “Details of Aviation Lessor Settlements With Russia.” – https://www.insurancejournal.com/news... The Moscow Times – 2023 – “Amid Sanctions, Aeroflot Forced to Send Aircraft to Iran for Repair.” – https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/0... Reuters – 2023 – “Russian airline aims for patched-up Airbus to take off from field.” – https://www.reuters.com/business/aero... RFE/RL – 2025 – “Russia Smuggling US Plane Parts As Sanctions Ground Airliners.” – https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-flight... Encyclopedia.com – n.d. – “Aeroflot – Russian Airlines JSC.” – https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/po... Wikipedia – 2023 – “Aeroflot (post-Soviet restructuring).” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot Reuters – 2023 – “How Russia keeps its fleet of Western jets in the air.” – https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/... Business Insider – 2022 – “Western sanctions stranded hundreds of airliners in Russia.” – https://www.businessinsider.com/weste... Kommersant / The Moscow Times – 2023 – “Organized tourism to Russia drops by 90% in 2022.” – https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/0... Yle News – 2022 – “Finnair stock price plunges as Russia closes airspace.” – https://yle.fi/a/3-12337655 The Moscow Times – 2022 – “Russia’s Aeroflot Says Halting All Flights Abroad from March 8.” – https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/0... Business Insider – 2022 – “Aeroflot halts international flights as sanctions increase risk.” – https://www.businessinsider.com/aerof... AeroTime – 2022 – “Aeroflot to suspend all international flights from 8 March.” – https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/30...