Aviation Crisis In Russia: Passengers Are Transported By Cargo Planes

This is a clear illustration of how the Russian Federation's civilian infrastructure is degrading.

Russian airlines have started using cargo planes to transport passengers on civilian flights. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

In particular, in the Irkutsk region of the Russian Federation, passengers of a regular flight complained that instead of an An-24 passenger plane, they were transferred to an An-26 cargo plane without warning. People, among them children, flew close to a pile of cargo.

"This is not an accident, but a symptom of a systemic crisis in Russian aviation. The sanctions have cut Russia off from Western spare parts, service and components," the center said.

Russia's own production is not able to cover the needs: the new Il-114-300 aircraft, which were supposed to replace the outdated fleet, have not yet been certified, and the deadlines are constantly postponed. The Federal Air Transport Agency admits that the country may lose 339 aircraft in the next five years.

"Passengers in cargo planes are a clear illustration of how Russia's civilian infrastructure is degrading under the weight of war and isolation," the CPD stressed.

Reminder, the mortality rate in Russian commercial aviation in 2025 has exceeded the figures for the previous two years together. Against the backdrop of sanctions, a worn-out aircraft fleet and a shortage of spare parts, disasters are becoming more frequent.

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