Russia is stepping up efforts to ease international aviation sanctions, urging the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to relax restrictions on spare parts and overflights, Reuters reports. The move comes as Moscow faces growing pressure to keep its aging commercial fleet in the air amid limited access to critical Western components.

In working papers submitted ahead of ICAO’s triennial assembly in Montreal this week, Russia dismissed the sanctions as ‘unlawful coercive measures’ that violate international rules and human rights. Moscow argues that restrictions on safety-critical spare parts go beyond politics and directly threaten flight safety, putting both passengers and airlines at risk.

Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Western sanctions have cut Russian airlines off from Airbus and Boeing parts, grounding them from direct procurement channels. Russia operates over 700 Western-built jets, and while some parts continue to arrive through indirect or ‘grey market’ channels, this supply is neither reliable nor comprehensive.

The effect has been significant with airlines forced to cannibalize grounded aircraft to keep others flying, closure of 37 countries’ airspace to Russian carriers has reshaped routes and reduced connectivity and restriction on maintenance, airworthiness certificates, and insurance have further isolated Russia from the global aviation system.

Recent incidents underscore the growing risks of an aging and poorly supported fleet. In late July, an Antonov An-24 turboprop built in 1976 crashed in Russia’s Far East, killing all 48 people on board. Days later, flag carrier Aeroflot was forced to cancel dozens of flights after a cyberattack, straining an already fragile system.

While Soviet-era aircraft are still in use, much of Russia’s commercial fleet remains heavily dependent on Western aircraft, raising alarms about long-term safety. “If in the near future a Russian Boeing or Airbus crashes and people die, what then? In any case, it will be blamed on sanctions,” a source in Russia’s aviation industry told Reuters.

Moscow’s lobbying represents a test for ICAO, which sets global aviation safety standards. The organization has already condemned Russia for violating Ukraine’s airspace sovereignty and for dual-registering seized foreign aircraft, a practice seen as undermining international aviation law.

By requesting sanctions relief at ICAO, Russia is also seeking to reposition itself diplomatically. After failing to secure a seat on ICAO’s 36-member governing council in 2022, it is now attempting a comeback by framing sanctions as discriminatory and politically motivated.

The timing is also significant: ICAO faces pressure to maintain its credibility as a neutral global aviation regulator while balancing the interests of Western nations and Russia, a country that spans 11 time zones and depends heavily on aviation for domestic connectivity.

For Russia securing relief would stabilize its civil aviation sector and prevent widespread grounding of aircraft. Without it, safety risks and service disruptions could accelerate. As for ICAO, granting concessions to Moscow risks undermining the body’s stance on international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Russia’s call to ICAO reveals a complex intersection of geopolitics, aviation safety, and international law. While Moscow frames the issue as humanitarian and safety-related, critics argue it is an attempt to bypass political accountability for the war in Ukraine. For ICAO, the Montreal assembly may be less about technical aviation rules and more about whether the organization can maintain neutrality in one of the most politically charged aviation disputes in decades.