Great Britain investigates purchase of equipment from Russia under sanctions

The UK government is investigating the purchase of equipment from Russia under sanctions. In particular, this refers to goods worth 80 million pounds sterling, almost half of which was accounted for by Russian aircraft.

This is reported by The Observer, according to UNN.

Details

The government is trying to establish whether the multi-million pound purchase of aircraft from Russia violated the UK’s sanctions regime, after The Observer reported on it. According to the Department for Business and Trade’s own data, the UK imported £80 million worth of Russian goods in the year ending June 2025, an increase of 21.2% on the previous year. Almost half – £36.3 million – was spent on Russian aircraft

Officials were unable to confirm who made the purchase, or whether it was permitted under the UK’s sanctions regime, which prohibits the purchase of aviation goods and technology, as well as “goods that generate significant revenue for Russia.”

A government spokesperson said:

“Failure to comply with sanctions is an offense punishable by large financial penalties or even criminal prosecution, and we take reports of UK companies failing to comply with them very seriously. We encourage anyone who believes a company may have breached trade sanctions to report it to the government.”

Recall The UK expanded its sanctions list, adding Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as the Indian company Nayara Energy, which is co-owned by Rosneft.