Putin told Russians that Western sanctions had failed, yet his war has left passenger jets grounded, aircraft stripped for spare parts, and promised Russian replacements years behind schedule. A reported 130 commercial jets are out of service, while major airlines cannibalize parked aircraft to keep the remaining fleet airborne. Moscow claims it no longer needs Western technology, but its factories still depend on foreign engines, electronics, and components they struggle to replace.
The failure has triggered a fight inside Putin's government over the Baikal, an aircraft meant to serve remote communities across Russia's Far East. Built originally with American engines and propellers, the project became vastly more expensive after sanctions forced a domestic redesign. Ministers are now blaming each other, and one proposed answer is to revive the Soviet An-2 biplane first flown in 1947.
Russia's flagship MC-21 passenger jet is also years behind schedule, while Moscow has sought aircraft leases from Vietnam. Civil aviation funding has been cut as military spending rises, leaving regional communities and commercial carriers to absorb the damage. Putin can demand cheaper planes, faster deliveries, and patriotic declarations of self-reliance. None of those orders can manufacture missing components or restore the capacity his own war has undermined.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro: Sanctions Shatter Russian Tech
01:28 - Russia's Reliance on Stolen Western Tech
04:13 - Tech Failures Threaten Russia's Far East
06:27 - Kremlin Feud Over Failed Baikal Aircraft
08:33 - Russia Revives 1947 Stalin-Era Biplanes
10:19 - Grounded Airliners Expose Aviation Collapse
12:37 - Jailing Scientists Cannot Fix Tech Failures
#Putin #RussianAviation #Russia
