Russia Sanctions: Who is Winning?

In early 2022, Harvard's Russia Matters project published my laundry list of repercussions of Russia sanctions. At the time few of those who were meant to read that story took it seriously: the rage & temptation to bankrupt Russia were too itchy. They still are. Except that now the warnings have started to get materialized.

The Financial Times reports that Boeing and Airbus bought plane sections with "falsely certified metal" because they can't buy stuff over sanctions on Russia's metal imports.

"The companies bought fuselages and wings from Spirit AeroSystems, the Kansas supplier that has struggled with quality issues over the past year. The metal originated in China, where the documentation reportedly was falsified, before working its way through the global supply chain to be used in parts installed in jets made by the duelling plane makers.

The news, reported earlier by The New York Times, is another setback for an industry with a years-long backlog of orders and customers eager for new planes. Titanium is used to make critical components for aircraft, including landing gears and fasteners for the pylons that join an engine to a wing."