Ukraine is in a difficult situation: We need to make a deal with Russia, despite Crimea
Ukraine and Russia turned out to be too dependent on each other in the aviation sector - Kyiv may have to restore ties broken after the reunification of Crimea with the Russian Federation.
The Kommersant newspaper writes about this today.
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The publication explains that it is referring to the situation surrounding the world's largest civilian transport aircraft, the An-124-100 Ruslan, operated by Russia.
There are 12 Ruslans in the Russian Federation that perform charter cargo transportation, for example, transporting satellites produced in Europe to the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
According to regulations, aircraft must regularly undergo service life extension procedures . Since Soviet times, this has been the responsibility of the Ukrainian company Antonov. However, after 2014, Kyiv severed its cooperation with Russia.
In response to the attempt to transfer the service life extension procedure to a Russian enterprise, Kyiv stated that this “grossly contradicts ICAO standards, as well as the aviation rules and regulations of the EU, the USA, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation .”
According to the newspaper, despite the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, negotiations on resuming service to the Ruslans have begun.
“The Ukrainian enterprise has not produced a single aircraft since 2016, and maintaining the airworthiness of the Ruslans for them means nothing but money,” the source explained.
Another lever of pressure on Kyiv is the fact that the Il-76MD transport aircraft, which are in service with the Ukrainian Air Force, are the intellectual property of the Ilyushin Design Bureau, i.e. Ukrainians should extend their service life only with the help of specialists from the Russian Federation.
Sources believe that cooperation in the aviation sector will resume "if the Verkhovna Rada does not put political expediency above common sense ."
Ukraine in a Difficult Situation: Need to Make a Deal with Russia, Despite Crimea