Russia's oligarchs are finding laughably easy ways to circumvent all Western sanctions.

Russia has lost a total of 76 airliners since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine due to Western sanctions. Russia currently has 1,302 aircraft, with 1,167 vessels being passenger planes, and is planning to increase its fleet to 1,800 domestic planes and helicopters for Russian carriers by 2030, Vitaly Savelyev, the head of Russia’s transport ministry, told the Moscow-based Russian media group RBC.

„The decision to seize our planes that were in technical storage or being serviced abroad or about to fly for foreign airlines caught us off guard,”

the transport minister said. More than half of Russian passenger planes are foreign-made and were leased by Russian airlines. Sixty-seven per cent of foreign aircraft in Russia are registered in Bermuda and Ireland. After the outbreak of war, their airworthiness certificates were revoked, so these planes cannot operate.

As is known, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by allowing the registration of foreign aircraft leasing rights in Russia. Placing aircraft under the Russian flag allows them to fly to and from countries – such as Turkey and Dubai – that have imposed no airspace closure for Russian planes or sanctions on individual travellers.

When it comes to private planes, they are still allowed to fly, but not in Europe’s airspace. According to Reuters news agency, some of Russia’s rich and powerful people are finding ways to keep their personal jets in the air. It would not even pose an obstacle for oligarchs and businessmen to continue travelling in Europe. The trick is that some jet owners fly from Russia to Turkey or ex-Soviet states and then charter different aircraft to European Union airports, provided that they themselves are not personally under sanctions.