March 24, 2025

Flying on Russian Fuel?


Flying on Russian Fuel?
Airbaltic airplane taking off. Bene Riobó, Wikimedia Commons.

Russian independent outlet Verstka has published a report that alleges Latvian state airline airBaltic is flying its planes with fuel from Tatarstan, violating European Union sanctions. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the state company has openly supported Kyiv and plans on resuming operations in the country.

On March 1, 2022, airBaltic posted on its Facebook page, "Our thoughts and hearts are with with the brave Ukrainian nation." The company even added flights from Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, the closest airport in Poland from Ukraine, to further support passengers from the invaded country.

In June 2022, an EU sanctions package established that "It shall be prohibited to purchase, import or transfer, directly or indirectly, crude oil or petroleum products, as listed in Annex XXV, if they originate in Russia or are exported from Russia." These restrictions did not apply to contracts fulfilled by February 5, 2023. 

Verstka claims it found evidence that the airline attempted to purchase oil from Russia 28 times from February 2022 until March 2024. Thirteen of those attempts were successful. The news outlet cited the American trade information website ImportGenius as well as a closed Russian customs database for its investigation.

According to Verstka, Russian customs records showed that the Baltic airline cancelled 15 fuel deliveries. Eleven of these cancellations occurred in 2022. However, airBaltic also cancelled a delivery in 2023 and three in 2024. 

In the two databases Verstka consulted, airBaltic is listed as a recipient of fuel. The sender is listed as "Gazpromneft-Aero." In customs data, the last nine purchases have the code "LV" as the recipient and the word "NEIZVESTNO" ("unknown") as the sender. The code for air transfers appear in the data. An anonymous customs control expert told Verstka the goods were most likely exported from Russia through a third country.

Verstka linked the oil purchases with the company Tatneft Aviaservis, a company that sells fuel for aircraft and prepares shipments from the Kazan International Airport. The enterprise is owned by Tatneft, one of the largest Russian corporations that is owned primarily by the government of Tatarstan. Alexey Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation claims that the president of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, and his family have enriched themselves from the oil company. Despite sanctions against Russia, Tatneft Aviaservis' profits have increased in 2023 and 2024.

AirBaltic and the Latvian government have denied Verstka's claims. The airline said in a statement that the Russian newspaper's sources were "questionable." AirBaltic added, "The last payments to [AO Gazpromneft-Aero] were made in March and April 2022 for services provided in Lisbon in March 2022, before the sanctions were implemented."

On March 13, airBaltic announced it had met with authorities in Kyiv to resume operations in Ukraine as soon as the airspace opens. The airline also added a Ukrainian-language section to its website.

You Might Also Like

Fleeting Freedom
  • March 16, 2025

Fleeting Freedom

A Ural journalist was released from jail, only to be re-arrested.
Paddleboarding Down to Russia
  • July 29, 2024

Paddleboarding Down to Russia

A Latvian pro-Kremlin activist and his five-year-old illegally crossed the border with Russia on a small recreational watercraft.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955