New EU restrictions hit landing gear of Russian aircraft

The European Union has included rubber and vulcanised rubber products in its 20th sanctions package in a bid to restrict the production of tyres for Russia's military aviation.

Source: GuildHall, citing Militarnyi

Details: The new measures cover both raw materials and finished products that are critical for the construction of combat aircraft.

According to the publication, the inclusion of these items is the result of analytical work by the Ukrainian side, which identified gaps in previous restrictions and demonstrated to partners that rubber supplies directly affect aircraft combat capability.

Russia remains heavily dependent on imports of natural rubber, which is an indispensable component for high-load aviation tyres.

For a long time, this sector partially remained outside the sanctions regime, allowing the defence industrial base to continue operating, the outlet writes.

In 2024, the Russian Federation continued purchasing over US$5.8 million worth of rubber from EU countries, with more than half of this volume consisting of natural raw materials.

Among the recipients of European products were companies such as Ikon Tyres (a former division of Finland's Nokian Tyres, which came under the control of PJSC Tatneft in March 2023) and Logistics Park Yanino.

The tyre manufacturer Cordiant also imported such materials; it has direct links to Russia's defence sector and supplies products for the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

A separate issue concerns synthetic rubber, which formally already fell under EU sanctions but continued to reach Russia via third countries in 2024, exposing systemic weaknesses in the existing restrictions mechanism.

These facts highlighted the need for significantly tighter exports control, the publication says.

Russian industry has attempted to reduce its vulnerability by planning to replace up to 80% of natural rubber with synthetic alternatives. However, industry experts acknowledge that it is impossible to fully abandon imports due to the unique physical properties of natural rubber, the outlet notes.

Background:

• Earlier, Ukraine's Economic Security Council identified a critical dependence of Russian aviation – including Su-34 and Su-35S aircraft – on tyres from China. In 2024, Russia received aviation tyres and materials for their production from China worth over US$60 million, which are crucial for Su-34 and Su-35S bombers (carriers of bombs and missiles).
• The council also reported that Russia obtained Michelin aviation tyres worth more than US$7 million despite EU sanctions.
• Latvian security authorities are examining the possible export of natural rubber to Russia via Latvian territory. The country is also pushing for this raw material to be included in the 20th sanctions package.

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