# Russia moves to let airlines keep flying foreign-leased planes they never returned after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russia-moves-to-let-airlines-keep-flying-foreign-leased-planes-they-never-returned-after-the-full-scale-invasion-of-ukraine/
- Published: 2026-11-06T10:16:08+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T11:52:04+00:00
- Original publisher: Meduza
- Original article: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/11/06/russia-moves-to-let-airlines-keep-flying-foreign-leased-planes-they-never-returned-after-the-full-scale-invasion-of-ukraine
- Topics: Europe, Government, Politics, Russia-Ukraine War, World

## Key points

- Russia proposes extending the aircraft regime through 2028.
- The policy lets airlines continue operating foreign-leased planes.
- Lessors’ claims were settled on 204 of 407 remaining aircraft.

## Summary

Russia’s Transport Ministry has proposed extending a special regime allowing Russian airlines to keep operating foreign-leased aircraft and engines until the end of 2028. The proposal would continue a policy introduced after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when lessors sought the return of their planes and sanctions restricted aircraft-related supplies and services to Russia.

The regime, established in March 2022 under Government Resolution No. 412, was initially due to expire in 2024 and was later extended through 2026. Russian airlines had 515 leased planes when the war began; some were seized abroad, returned or bought out. From 2022 to 2025, airlines settled claims with foreign lessors for 204 of the 407 aircraft that remained, according to Vedomosti.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.