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Boeing of the Russian airline Aeroflot: under pressure from Western sanctions
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Maxim Shemetov / REUTERS
The Russian aviation authority Rosawiazija has fired an employee because of his statements about possible deliveries from China to domestic airlines.
Valery Kudinov, who is responsible for maintaining the airworthiness of aircraft, had to go, the newspaper Kommersant reported on Tuesday, citing insiders.
This was confirmed to the Reuters news agency by industry circles.
Kudinov had previously made headlines with statements that Russia wanted to get much-needed parts from Turkey and India.
The reason for this is failed efforts to obtain the aircraft parts from China.
The newspaper Kommersant quotes Kudinov as saying that he was fired because he broke a law by passing on the information.
Rosawiazija declined to comment.
Kudinow's statements are also explosive for China.
The United States is threatening China with consequences if it helps Russia and violates the sanctions.
The consequences would be significant, said government spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
The US has a number of tools at its disposal that could be used against China if necessary.
China's role in the conflict unclear
Only on Tuesday, according to the Reuters news agency, employees of the US secret service announced that China had signaled its willingness to provide Russia with military and economic support.
Secret service employees had brought the message to the NATO allies on Monday.
They based their information on testimony from a US state official who was not named.
Several media outlets reported on Monday that Russia had asked China for military equipment.
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry called the reports "disinformation".
Russia also denied the claims, saying it has sufficient military resources to achieve all of its goals in Ukraine.
Russian aviation industry under pressure
Russian aviation industry is under pressure from Western sanctions over Ukraine invasion.
The supply of most foreign planes and parts to Russia has been cut off, as the major international aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have stopped exporting components.
The United States and Europe have closed their airspace to Russian airlines, prompting Russia to respond in kind.
A few days ago, Bermuda's air traffic control authority revoked all Russian aircraft registered there as airworthy.
Sol/Reuters